Three Part Harmony
by myboygeorge
Summary: After five months of trying without success, Meredeth and Esposito are finally going to have a baby!  Follow their story as they join Ryan & Honey-Milk, Lili & Cam, and Lanie & Dave in Crumbsian parenthood!
1. The Lucky Ones: 0 Weeks

_Hello everyone! We're back to a Mere-Sposito fic, and we're picking up literally hours after the end of 'Fireworks on the DL'. And the opening chapter, I must say has a little for everyone! Enjoy!_

* * *

Meredeth stretched her arms up, eyes still heavy with sleep as she blinked, focused on her husband as she woke up from her siesta. They'd spent the afternoon playing beach volley-ball, with Lanie as score-keeper and Honey-Milk as referee to keep an eye on their children; when the clouds rolled in and the thunder threatened rain, everyone had used the time to recuperate from the sun-drenched sports before dinner. They were planning on having a very juvenile-yet-grown-up night around the campfire - smores and a midnight corn roast while drinking fruity, rum-laced drinks and beer, maybe play a few rounds of 'never Have I Ever'. Since they had the newlyweds to tease about their sex lives, Meredeth could see the night ending up like her bachelorette party.

She turned toward him, could see he was still drowsy. It was one of her favourite looks on him, that half-awake relaxation. She leaned over, kissed him once. 'Javi, time to wake up, _cari_.'

Even have asleep, he felt his blood swim a little hearing her use the Spanish term of endearment on him. She spoke Danish herself, but there was something about hearing his Meredeth use his own second language that was just smoking hot. 'Why? It's nice and cozy here.'

'I think it's almost time for dinner, baby.'

'Oh yum, but no. We have other things to do much more important than food right now.' He wiggled his eyebrows at her as she sat up.

'They'll notice we're not there, you know.'

'IF they're truly concerned for our safety and health, they'll send a search party.'

So saying, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her back into bed. She smelled fresh and natural, like ocean-water, and her skin was just as soft. He ran his palm up her stomach, in between her breasts. Esposito had sent many a heaven-ward thank you since Friday night for the great notion of bikinis, as Meredeth had spent most of her time in one working on her tan that day. It left little room for error as to just how female his wife was and it never failed to turn him on when he touched or tasted those delicious curves of her body.

Reaching a hand behind her back, he tugged on the strings and slid the fabric away so she was only wearing her bottoms now, running his thumb along the underside of one breast. He felt his mouth go dry as he literally watched her nipples harden; shifting so she was flat on her back underneath him, he brought his other hand up to her other breast and simultaneously scraped his thumbs over those wickedly heated points. He loved this move as it brought him one of his favourite reactions: she arched her back so her breasts pressed into his hands as her hips bucked backwards, then up against his, already anticipating where this would go. He kissed her, his tongue tangling with hers as she hummed in her throat when his fingertips replaced his thumbs.

'I love it when you do that, baby,' she murmured against his mouth.

'I know, I can tell.' He left her lips to trail his down her throat in a series of linger open mouthed kisses, over where her pulse jumped and began to race. 'Just like I know you love this one too.'

He made his way down her body, her skin heating as he kissed the curve of her breasts, then pressed his mouth to the center, teeth grazing lightly as he suckled at her, his tongue flicking over her nipple at lightening speed.

Meredeth felt desire roll through her veins like lightening. Even after two and a half years together, it was still as exciting as that infamous first tiem on her kitchen floor. The ability to think soon evaporated as he moved his mouth to her other breast, his hand replacing his tongue on the one he'd just left. She wrapped her legs around his hips, vaguely remembering he'd slept naked so there was no barrier of silk on him, just little Javi at full attention.

'Javi,' she groaned, the need to be touched and tasted everywhere taking over every fibre of her being. 'Touch me. Use your fingers on me.'

It made Esposito ache to hear her breathy demands, but she wasn't the only one who knew how to tease. He slid his hand down her body, tugged on the strings holding her bikini in place and tossed the swim bottoms over the side of the bed. He ran a hand over her thighs. They weren't toned like some women's nor were they small, but damn she knew how to use them and they were soft, creamy white, and smooth as silk. he stroked his index finger up, retreated as he watched her eyes burn with frustration. He finally reached the edge of the heated lips between her legs, and whispered in her ear, 'Here?'

'Closer.'

He traced his fingers over her, found her devastatingly hot and slick already. 'Here?'

'Closer.'

This time, he sank one finger into the tight welcoming wet heat, watched her eyes glaze over as he moved inside her. 'Like that?'

'God, yes. Just like that.' She arched against his hand, putting her own on the back of his neck to kiss him as she felt the pleasure gather inside.

'I think you'll like this-' he manouevred another finger inside her '-even better.'

This time she let out a strangled gasp, arching her back again as her eyes slammed shut in reaction. 'Javi,' she managed to get out on a breathy moan. Her nails dug into the skin of his shoulders, kneaded rhythmically as he stroked her towards the zenith of pleasure. As he felt the muscles contract around his fingers, he muttered, 'Say it.'

'What?'

'I want to hear you say it. I love hearing you say it.'

She felt the orgasm start to flood her cells. 'I'm coming.'

She repeated it over and over, each time a little quicker until she thought her brain would explode; she felt him draw his hand away from her and in anticipation of what was next, locked her legs around him to pull him close. She cried out a little when she felt him ease inside her, an automatic sound of pleasure.

Esposito pressed his lips to her shoulder. This was always his favourite moment of making love with Meredeth, the first momentof union with her. He braced his hand on the back of her knee, drew it up towards her chest as she moaned in his ear, 'Deeper, Javi, go deeper.' He pushed himself so he was all the way in, her moans growing louder.

'Mere, I know you like it, but that screen door isn't sound proof,' he told her, making her laugh a little.

'I know, I just...oh, god,' she trailed off as he began to move inside her, that delicious friction building again. He was so good at this, at making her feel like the sexiest woman in the world; to him, she was, she knew though she didn't always understand how or why. With each stroke her senses heightened, her body growing tighter and tighter with pressure until finally, it ripped through her; this time, the orgasm wasn't sudden like a hurricane, but a wind-up like a tornado. Her nerves felt electrified as it swamped her senses; she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to keep him close as she murmured, 'I love you,' over and over, faster and faster until the words blurred together in her mind.

Esposito felt her shudder underneath him, the sensation more precious to him than gold; he drove her up a second time and as she told him she loved him, he said it back to her. 'I love you, Mere,' he told her, watched her bite her lip to keep the scream from escaping and embarrassing Castle's exclusive neighbours. He covered her mouth with his and let himself go over the edge inside her.

They lay on the bed, still joined and legs tangled, trying to catch their breath and regain some working brain power. Esposito snuggled against Meredeth's breasts, listened to her heart rate come down. He could have joyfully spent the rest of the night on those perfect soft female pillows of hers.  
'You think we did it this time?'

'Did what?'

'Made a baby?'

Esposito turned to look at Meredeth, questioning hope in her blue eyes. The news back in March that they might have to try harder than they thought to procreate had left Meredeth feeling guilty, he knew, that she'd somehow let him down. So he'd shown his commitment to her by giving up the things she was giving up as well - alcohol, caffeine, red meat, even certain kinds of cheeses and fish he knew she loved. But they were more in love with becoming parents and woudl do whatever was necessary to make it happen.

'If we did, that's amazing. If not, well, nothing wrong with a little batting practice.'

'You do have an amazing swing.'

'As do you.' Esposito scooted up, kissed the tip of her nose. 'I want a quick shower before we head over. Want to join me?'

'No funny stuff.'

'As much as I love you, I'm not powered by Duracell.'

They showered together, dressed and headed into the main house kitchen where they saw Ryan had his head in the fridge, and Lanie was dicing onions on the cutting board while Dell pushed Cheerios around his high chair's built-in table and dropped some over the side onto Arturo's head.

'Hey, there you are, we thought you'd gotten lost.'

'Just took a longer nap than we thought. Ryan do you want a hand with anything?'

Meredeth tapped the Irishman on the shoulder, then jumped as he jumped. When he glanced around the door of the fridge, she could see that his ears were turning bright pink. 'No, I've got everything under control here. Beer?' he asked, holding one out to Esposito.

'Thanks but I'll stick to Coke.'

Ryan passed him the bottle before he slammed the door of the fridge, muttering about checking on the food and all but sprinting for the patio.

'What's with him?'

'Oh, he's probably cranky Jenny stuck him on Dell-duty while she and Beckett went into town to pick up campfire supplies for later.' Lanie picked up her board of onions, slid the rings into a waiting glass dish. 'Take these out to the table. Castle's almost got the burgers and sausages ready.'

As if on cue, Castle stuck his head in the door and hollered, 'Soup's on!'

Lanie unhooked Dell from his chair, telling him about barbecues while he grinned and clapped his hands as they walked outside. Behind her, Meredeth gave Esposito's arm a quick squeeze. 'Let's get some of those eats before they disappear.'

* * *

Dinner was an enjoyable affair, with Beckett and Honey-Milk arriving just in time for the second round of burgers to come fresh off the grill. Lanie had used the afternoon-nap time the grown-ups had all taken to pump out and had fed Carey a bottle of breast milk so she could remain at the dinner table with everyone. There was laughter and conversation and debate, however Meredeth noticed throughout the meal, Ryan made a very specific point of avoiding her gaze; any time she caught him so much as looking at her, he'd quickly glance away.

By the time the sun was down, the little ones had been tucked into bed with Alexis and Sloan watching over them. The campfire was roaring away and once again, Ryan was carefully avoiding all interaction with her, but by now Meredeth had had enough. She parked herself in the chair between her husband and his partner, who was staring at the fire with far too much intensity to be enjoying himself.

'Okay, spill it.'

'What?'

'Why have you been avoiding me since dinner? You can't even look at me.'

Ryan shifted, took a sip of his beer. 'I have no idea what you mean.'

Before Meredeth could smack him, a campfire stick appeared under her nose, with a twin stack of marshmellows on it courtesy of Esposito.

'That how you want the double-decker?'

'Yeah just like that.'

The words were barely out of her mouth before Ryan gagged and sputtered, and was forced to spit out his mouthful of beer before he choked on it. She slapped him smartly on the back while he coughed, making all heads turned towards them.

'What the hell, Ryan?' Lanie asked, her curiosity now piqued.

'Yeah, you've been kinda squirrelly all night,' Castle added from the other side of the campfire.

'It's nothing,' he said hurriedly. He tried to get up, but found Meredeth's iron grip had him staying put.

'You're not going anywhere until you tell us what's up.'

'Well...' Ryan trailed off, thankful the cover of dark would partially hide his reddened cheeks. Blushes never looked good on him, as it was always obvious. 'When I went to get you two for dinner, I walked in when you were, um, definitely not asleep like I thought you'd be.'

What the hell was he talking about? Then, like being run over by a Mack truck, she realized what they'd been doing that would have made him turn so red. She began to laugh, a little giggle at first, then full on snorting guffaws as she realized just walked he'd walked in on when he opened the door of the boathouse.

'Definitely not...' Esposito trailed off as he realized what his partner meant, and began to laugh with Meredeth. 'Oh, bro, you didn't!'

'Oh yeah.'

Esposito set aside his marshmellow stick, pressed his fingers to his eyes as his laughter turned a little hysterical. 'Oh, you poor unlucky Irish bastard.'

'I don't think it's so fuckin' funny! Do you know what kind of nightmares that's going to give me?'

Around the campfire, the others began to join in the glee while only Castle remained confused.

'I don't get it,' Castle said immediately, though the site of Meredeth and Esposito howling like loons was making his own lips twitch. 'What happened?'

'Ryan walked on Esposito and Meredeth doing the mattress mambo.'

'Oh. Oh!' As it snapepd into place, Castle sat up from his lazy position on the bench with Beckett, pointed at Ryan. 'You walked in on them-'

'Yes.'

'Were they really-'

'Oh they'd have missed a nuclear bomb going off.'

'And you saw-'

'Far more of Esposito than anyone that isn't Meredeth or a doctor should,' Ryan cut Castle off, grimacing. 'It'll take a long time before I get the image of his bare ass out of my head.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	2. Excited: 7 Weeks

'Fuck. Fuck fuck, double fuckity-fuck.'

Disppointed yet again, Meredeth threw the home pregnancy test in the sink in disgust as she swore ripely. She dropped her head into her hands as Esposito rubbed her back.

'Another negative, huh?' It was a lame question, but the only words he could think of right then.

'I don't get it, I've been doing everything right. We've stopped all contraception use, I've trimmed down my diet of the bad things like caffeine and certain cheeses and fish, I'm keeping my temperature diary like clockwork and I still get a negative goddamn stick.'

Esposito could only give her a tight, supportive embrace. He hated seeing her so upset and frustrated, but what else was there to do? It wasn't like he could poke around her ovaries and figure out just what the deal was as to why her eggs and his sperm couldn't reach detante and make a little one.

'Maybe those blood tests you got done last week will give you some answers.'

'Easy for you to say, yours came back just fine and dandy. Nothing wrong with your Puerto-Rican swimmers, is there? Just my Danish eggs. And isn't it so lucky for the woman to have more complex tests that require longer wait times. What's a few more days in hell when all you want is for the friggin strip to turn blue or give you a thumbs up instead of mocking you with a frowny-face or a lemon.'

'Mere, believe me, there is nothing more I want than to fix this for you. But all we can do is keep trying and trying.'

'So our journey to procreation is like _The Little Engine That Could?_'

Esposito laughed, glad she could make a joke when she was clearly at her wits' end. He loved her more than anything and just wanted to make her happy. 'Something like that. And you have to admit,' he pointed out, turning her around in his arms to give her a soft, romantic kiss, 'we're very good at the trying.'

'We are.' Meredeth smiled, gave his lips a peck. 'You always know just what to say to boost my spirits. It's one of many reasons I love you.'

'Love you too baby.' He glanced at his watch, nodded. 'I gotta run, we're getting our results back from Ballistics on our mystery gunshots today. Gimme one for good luck.'

Meredeth gave him one last kiss, adding again she loved him; he said it back and was out of the house a few minutes later while Meredeth sneered at the failed test and dropped it in the trash. 'One of these days,' she muttered, poking her belly where under the skin lay her uterus, 'I'm going to win.'

She showered and dressed for her morning meeting with Robina to finalize publishing details on her cook-book _Tofu for T-Rex_ that would be hitting the stands in mid-October, just in time for pre-Thanksgiving shopping. She also had a meeting that afternoon with Bonnie Schaffer and Mark Upperton at Elevation Studios; CBS, it seemed, was interested in producing a special collectors' edition of the _Lady Hawk_ series on DVD and one of the many bonus features would be writers' commentary on all seven episodes.

As she went downstairs to contemplate a small mid-morning snack before heading out to catch the train in the end-of-August heat, outside of her lovely townhouse with its Central Air system, the house-line rang.

She picked up on the third ring. 'Yes, hello.'

'Hi, this is Nancy calling from Doctor Harvey's office? Might I speak with Meredeth Esposito?'

Meredeth felt a chill in her stomach. 'Yes, this is she.'

'Just wanted to call and let you know your test results are in, and Doctor Harvey would like to meet you at his office on Forty-Eight Street.'

'Oh, okay.' This couldn't be good, Meredeth thought. Only bad news was delivered in person. 'What time?'

'He's made room for you to see him in an hour. Will that work?'

'Yes, that's fine, thanks.'

Meredeth hung up, twisted her wedding band around on her finger. She was infertile; that had to be the only reason Harvey would call to ask her to come in. Her mind began to spin wildly. How was she going to break it to her Javi that she couldn't give him babies?

She nearly left the house when she remembered something vital. Fishing her cell from her purse, Meredeth dialed Robina's number and prayed her voice wouldn't crack. Robina, of all people, would be someone who'd be all sympathy, as she and Gil had been down this thorny road themselves. Then again, Gil had taken hormone therapies to help boost his baby-making mojo, so maybe that was what Harvey want to talk to Meredeth about.

'Robina Kelley.'

'It's Mere.'

'Hey, girl, you're in for the baby shower on Sunday, right? Just the girls, no testosterone allowed.'

'Yeah, I'll be there. Listen, I know it's short notice but I have to cancel our meeting this morning. I just got a call from my doctor and he wants to see me in an hour.'

'The regular doctor or the baby doctor?'

'Harvey, the baby doctor. He's giving me the results of my blood tests from last week.'

'I'm sure it's nothing serious, he just wants to tell you in person. And if it is bad news, you and Javi will sort it out.'

'Thanks, Robina.'

'Let me know how it turns out, okay?'

'Uh-huh.' With ever growing anxiety, Meredeth hung up, then picking up her purse, she went out the door and hoped she'd have the words to tell Esposito once she'd heard the news herself.

* * *

'So the entry wound on our vic was made by a thirty-eight, but the shell casings were all nine millimeter.'

'Which means our killer is very neat. Where are we on ballistics?'

'Esposito's still down there waiting for results.'

'Okay. Comb through the photos again, then head over to CSU to see what they say about your guy's email history.'

Beckett left the conference room, while Ryan hung back to determine which photographs would yield him the strongest explanations as to why their victim had been shot with one gun and shell casings of other makes and models were found lying around his body. He came out of the conference room and as he had his nose in the file, didn't see the person in his path until he'd bumped solidly into them.

'Oh sorry, didn't see...hey Mere.' His friendly face beamed like a sun. 'Didn't know you were dropping by. Hubby's down in the tech lab, want me to page him?'

'Sure, I guess.' Mere looked around like she was waiting for the boogeyman to pop out and nab her. 'Anywhere I can wait?'

'Break room is your best bet. Everything okay?'

'I'd rather just talk to him first.'

Ryan eyed her warily but directed her to the break room. Meredeth never popped in like this, and when she stopped to meet him at the end of his shift, she was always full of chatter and life; today she looked like a shell-shocked survivor of the war trenches. The minute he closed the door behind her, he whipped out his cell and dialed Esposito's number. 'Dude, Meredeth's here and she looks pretty rattled. You almost done?'

The elevator dinged and like magic, Esposito stepped off. 'Yeah I am. Where is she? Break room?'

'Uh-huh.' Ryan gestured vaguely, raced over to Beckett's desk where she was on the phone with a suspect's employer. He grabbed a piece of paper, wrote 'Mere and Javi - something's up' on it in big letters and waved it in front of her face.

'Thank you sir.' She hung up and grabbed the paper from Ryan. 'What's going on?'

'Just have a look.' Ryan pointed over her shoulder to the break room, where the open blinds gave them a silent-movie view of the conversation.

In the break room, Esposito leaned against the table and watched as Meredeth paced back and forth nervously, obviously trying to figure out the words to use. 'I take it you heard from the doctor this morning?'

'Yeah he asked me to come in and see him right after you left for work.'

Esposito's heart sank. Being called to the doctor's office was like going to the principal's office - they always tried to soften the blow but it never prevented that panicking beast inside from being appeased. 'So what did he say? Is there anything to be concerned about? Are you going to have some tests?'

'No, he said there's no need.'

'Why?'

Meredeth stopped pacing, turned to face her husband. She imagined the anxiety she felt now was akin to what he'd gone thorugh when he'd proposed to her.

'Because I'm already pregnant.'

Esposito felt all the blood drain from his face, his throat clog. 'Can you say that again?'

'I'm already pregnant.'

'One more time.' He took a step towards her, as she pressed her fingers to her mouth.

'I'm pregnant.'

He'd reached her and kissed her with such love and tenderness, she was amazed the flesh didn't melt from her bones. He toook her face in her hands and studied her eyes. 'I love you, Mere.'

'I love you too, Javi.'

'But what about the negative test this morning?'

'It was a false negative. Harvey said I'm about seven weeks or so into it, just shy of two months. Based on the hormonal development, he's putting my due date at about April first but we'll have a better idea when we go for the sonogram next Tuesday.'

'Sonogram? Like seeing it inside you, and hearing the heartbeat?'

Meredeth nodded in excitement, and he kissed her again, stared in wonderment at the curve of her stomach, that beautiful body that housed a baby they'd made. Their baby. His arms came around her, embraced her tightly, the he immediately backed off.

'Maybe I shouldn't do that, I don't want to crush it.'

'It's about the size of a pea right now and protected by plenty of layers. Hug away, Daddy.'

_Daddy_. The word made his head reel, the same way it had the first time he'd made love with Meredeth, or when she'd thrown herself into his arms after accepting his proposal of marriage. He scooped her up, spun her around, a grin plastered to his face as he laughed like a lunatic. 'We're having a baby. Holy shit, I can't believe this! We're having a baby!'

* * *

Outside the breakroom, Castle had joined Beckett and Ryan in watching the little piece of silent theatre play out. 'You think it's a good thing or a bad thing she's telling him?' he pondered.

'I can guess but I don't want to be wrong.' Ryan replied, then gripped Beckett's arm in excitement as the door flew open and Esposito, giddy as a little boy at Christmas, tugged Meredeth behind him who was grinning just as foolishly. 'It's good news, definitely good news.'

'Maybe her show's being syndicated.'

'Nah, I bet she's getting an award of some kind.'

'Men.' Beckett rolled her eyes as the happy couple stopped at her desk. 'Everything alright with you two?'

Esposito was so excited he could barely get the words out, as he gestured to his wife. 'Tell them what you just told me.'

'We're having a baby.'

The group exploded with noise, so much so that other officers stuck their heads out of doors to see what the commotion was about. Ryan and Castle were ready with congratulatory slaps on the back for Esposito while the girls hugged Meredeth tightly and a few tears were shared.

'How far along are you?' Beckett asked, unconsciously rubbign a hand over her own flat belly. Vaguely she wondered if Castle would react with the same enthusiasm as Esposito if she anounced she was having a baby.

'About seven weeks.' Meredeth grinned, knowing the next bit of info would make Ryan's head blow up. 'I did the math, it was the day after Rick and Kate's wedding, when Ryan got a free show.'

'Maybe we should change his name to Mother Goose,' Beckett joked as Ryan sputtered for a retort. 'First Jenny and Ryan made Dell at the Hallowe'en party, then Alexis sniffed out the secret at the New Year's Eve party , now you two have your own little fire-cracker to be after the Fourth of July at Castle's.

'What's going on?' Captain Montgomery, having been drawn from his office from the outburst of noise, sauntered up, looked at the stupidly happy faces of some of his best investigators.

'Detective Esposito's wife just told him he's going to be a daddy,' Castle informed him, 'and then they told us.'

'Congratulations you two.' The captain shook Esposito's hand, gave him a slap on the back before he warmly bussed Meredeth's cheek. 'I have no doubt he or she will be beautiful. And in the spirit of generosity, consider your shift covered for the rest of the day.'

'But sir, I-'

'No. I'm putting my foot down. A first baby together is a gift to cherish so go home or go out and celebrate.'

'We're off shift at seven, maybe we can all go out for dinner?' Ryan suggested. 'I'll call Jenny, let her know we need the nanny to stay a couple of extra hours tonight.'

'Absolutely, and someone has to call Lanie and Dave.'

'What about Lili and Cam? Think they'll be in for it too?'

'No.' Esposito shook his head. 'We have to tell my family in person so no calls to Lili until after three pm.'

'Oh, and I have to call Robina back. And let Bonnie and Mark know our meeting isn't happening this afternoon.'

Castle shook his head. 'Plenty of time for that, I suggest you go take advantage of the captain's gift and head out of here before he changes his mind and another body drops dead.'

Meredeth wrapped her arm around Esposito's waist in a half-hug as he did the same to her and they caught the elevator just as it emptied onto the homicide bullpen floor. Once the doors shut, Esposito turned to his wife and gave her the kind of kiss that had most likely started them off on this new road. He ran his hands down her back, over her ass to pull her close.

'So we're going home or out to celebrate?'

'Home, because there's only one way to celebrate.'

'Oh?' Meredeth arched an eyebrow at him.

'Yeah, recreate the conception. Without Ryan walking in.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	3. Aftermath

They did indeed celebrate by recreating the conception, twice in their own bed this time instead of the boathouse, without any interruptions. Not even a ringing phone.

'Yea us,' Meredeth said, as she stroked the back of her husband's neck, the little smile still on her face. 'We did it.'

'You bet your fine juicy booty we did.' Esposito kissed Meredeth's shoulder, propped his head on his hand to look at her face. His beautiful Meredeth, he thought, his wife and now the mother of his child. He couldn't wait to watch her grow and change, she would look even more amazing with the living proof of their love for each other under her skin. He'd seen the way Ryan lit up over Honey-Milk's pregnancy and as much crap as he'd given his partner Esposito knew he'd be just as soft a touch.

'So now what?'

'Now what, what?'

'What's the next step?' Esposito tapped his finger on her collar bone. 'I mean I kinda know having watched Ryan become a daddy, but this is you and me now. Whole different story when it's you going through it.'

'Well, the sonogram is on Tuesday and we're going to talk to Harvey about a lot of things concerning my health. My weight, for one, because that can lead to other things like heart stress and blood pressure problems, which are one of the leading causes of complications.'

Esposito nodded; they'd gone into the baby-making minefield with the knowledge that this would be one of their biggest challenges during the pregnancy. Meredeth was a very confident woman but he'd learned that a lot of her confidence came from her brain power and how well she spoke and could inform people or write her stories. When she looked in the mirror, her default setting was always to find flaws in her appearance which he suspected came from the fact she'd never been a slim girl. He'd seen photos of her as a teenager and even then she been busty and bootylicious, when the height of fashion had been the Kate Moss waif thin size-4-is-fat look and real women like her had been deemed cows. Esposito knew she exercised on a regular basis and was in excellent shape, she just could never seem to tone in the places she wanted to the most. Twisting so he spooned against her and his mouth was by her ear, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed in a hard, supportive hug.

'So we'll work with Harvey and a nutritionist to make sure you stay healthy. I'm not going to let anything happen to put you or the baby in danger. That's not just words, that's a promise, real and solid as this.' He held up his hand in front of her eyes, tapped his wedding ring with his thumb.

Meredeth smiled, turned so she could kiss him. 'I love you.'

'I love you right back.' Inspired, Esposito scooted down, tugging back the covered to look at her naked body, then laid his lips on her belly, just underneath her navel. 'And I love you in there, too. What do you think, will Mama still be beautiful when you're almost ready to come out?'

She felt the tears build and fall as he pressed his ear against her skin, like he was listening to a secret and he nodded at the unheard response. Her husband, the big bad hero cop, was just stupid with happy at the news they would become parents.

'He or she says you should listen to me and not those nasty demons because you are the most gorgeous woman in the world and you should absolutely believe even when you are eight months pregnant and feel like a whale, I'll still get that sizzle when I look at you.'

'I know. I think the hormones are getting the better of me a little already.'

'It's okay, Mere.' Esposito moved back up her body, brushed her tears away and kissed her cheeks. 'Your body is about to undergo some radical transformations, and I'll be there every step of the way, whether you need a back rub or ice cream at two in the morning, or just need someone to yell at because your mood swings are making you nuts. Because I love you.'

'I love you too.'

Overwhelmed, Meredeth pillowed her head against his shoulder, closed her eyes. 'I didn't sleep well last night, do you mind if we have a little rest?'

'Anything you need.'

* * *

An hour and a half later, Meredeth awoke to find herself held tightly against her husband; it was one of their unique anomalies - whenever they turned in for bed at night, he was always up before her, yet when they power napped like this, particularly when he had to work nights, she always woke before him. As he slept, she studied his face and wondered what of his traits their child would get. Would there be brown eyes, blue eyes? Honey-brown or jet-black hair? His goofy ears or chipmunk cheeks or her button nose and long lashes?

Esposito shifted, squeezed his eyes shut before blinking them open. 'Hey mama,' he said in a still-sleepy voice. 'I was dreaming about you.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah. You were sitting in the middle of a lily-pad and you opened your mouth and said 'twenty-five cents please', so I popped a quarter in your mouth and twisted your nose, like those crank gumball machines, and then a baby popped out from between your legs. A little girl with big blue eyes and fuzzy dark hair like a Troll doll.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. Then she opened her mouth and started singing Black Eyed Peas songs.'

'Aw.' Meredeth kissed him, drummed her fingers on his back. 'I was just thinking. It's Thursday, right?'

'Right.'

'We should get dressed and take the train up to The Salamander and tell your parents, since they'll both be at the bakery today.'

'That's a great idea.' Esposito unwound his arm from around Meredeth's waist, gave her tummy a little pat. 'But you should know, my mother is very excited about having more grand-kids, especially from me since I'm the boy so don't be surprised if she goes a little over the top.'

* * *

The Salamander Bakery was more than just a hugely popular Spanish Harlem pastry shop, it was a point of pride for Esposito. He was his mother's son through and through and very proud of all the women in his life, something he'd learned from watching her run her own business for over forty years. The logo had always made him laugh - a neon lizard flecked with black wearing a white bib and proudly holding a knife and fork in each hand as he sized up a cupcake. The boxes for his mother's bakery were equally distinctively; most used pale pink but not Rosalita - her cakes and cookies were boxed in eye-watering lime green with black swirls, the same colours in the logo.

With Meredeth's hand in his, they walked through the door into madness - as advertised on the outside chalk-board cookies and coffee were the specialty of the day, she could barely bake them fast enough to keep up with demands. They were lined up to the door and the old-fashioned cash register was chiming merrily as sale after sale was rung up by Lili, while his father and his cousin Daisy, also his mother's apprentice, filled orders. They skirted the line, went right to the counter, just as Rosalita was bringing out more racks of almond _galletas_ and _mantecaditos_, along with the English oatmeal raisin and brown sugar cookies.

'Thanks, enjoy your day,' Lili smiled, then caught her brother's eye, along with Meredeth and let out a laugh. 'I don't care you are the boy and the first born, you can wait like everyone else.'

'Nonsense, Lucita.' Rosalita had also seen her son and his beautiful wife come to the counter. 'Come, come, I'll get you a cold _con leche_ before I put you to work. I could use the extra hands getting the cookies out over the counter.'

'Decaf for Meredeth, Mami. Caffeine's no good for mamas-to-be.,' Esposito said, unable to hide his proud smile.

'WHAT!'

Lili's yell was enormous, especially considering she was all of five-feet-one. She stared in open-mouthed shock at her brother and sister-in-law as Daisy and Alejandro rushed over. 'Are you serious!'

'Next April. We're going Tuesday for a sonogram to see our baby.'

With a great sob, Rosalita shoved past Lili and embraced them both, happy tears swimming in her eyes. She kissed Meredeth's cheeks and nearly crushed her son's ribs as she held on tightly. 'Oh, you're going to make me an _abuela_ again! Oh, congratulations to you both!'

Fluttering her hands, Rosalita went back behidn the counter; what happened next, Esposito and Meredeth couldn't believe their eyes. Ever spry, Rosalita toed off her work shoes and hopped up to stand on the counter between the display cases and the cash register. 'Excuse me, everyone!'

The crowd settled, though mostly because seeing the tiny Hispanic lady on the counter was a most unusual sight.

'My son, Javier, and his lovely wife Meredeth have just told me that we are welcoming their first child into the world next April!'

The bakery was filled with cheers and applause as Meredeth blushed a little; a quick glance at her husband told her that he was also a little pink in the cheeks as Rosalita went on, 'Because you are all here to share in this joyous news with us, everyone gets a free cookie!'

Meredeth laughed as Rosalita hopped down and they were once again wrapped in her python-like grip before she shooed them behind the counter.

'Come, come, we'll talk in back.'

'Do you still want us to help you out?'

'Don't be silly, I'm not putting you to work now that I know you've got my son's seed inside you.'

Meredeth snickered as Esposito let out a cough and went cherry red; it was unavoidable. Telling his parents that they were having a baby basically felt like anouncing, yes we've been naked and had sex, things that any child was completely mortified telling their parents about whether they were nineteen or thirty-nine.

They followed her into the work room where others were working, manning pots on the stove or babysitting huge floor-mixers of doughs and batters. Rosalita took up her spot at a large work table, rolling dough into a slice-and-bake log, but not before she all but shoved Meredeth onto a stool.

'Sit, sit. How far along are you?'

'About seven weeks according to my doctor. He'll be able to tell us definitively when we have the sonogram done next week, because he only had a blood test to confirm it for me this morning.'

'This morning?' Rosalita looked up from her roll of cookie dough, still slicing in uniform. 'You only found out this morning? Why aren't you home celebrating?'

Esposito pressed his lips together; he knew exactly what his mother meant and wondered if the colour in his cheeks from hearing the phrase 'my son's seed inside you' would be permanently tattooed on his face. 'We already 'celebrated twice' Mami, and we wanted to come and tell you guys, so you heard it from us, and not through Fog-Horn Lili-Horn.'

'What about Constance? Is she just as thrilled?'

_Oops_. Meredeth looked at Esposito, a guilty look on her face. 'We, ah, kinda forgot to tell her.'

'Well, we'll fix that.'

With her cookies sliced, Rosalita stalked into her office and returned with the portable phone, put it on speaker as Meredeth dialed her grandmother in Miami. She picked up on the third ring and Meredeth could hear birds chirping in the background; she was probably on her sun-deck.

'Hello?'

'Constance, it's Rosalita Esposito, how are you?'

'Fine, fine, Rosie, to what do I owe the honour of this call?'

'Our children are here at the bakery and they need to share something with us.'

Meredeth leaned over, as did Esposito, and found her stomach fluttering nervously as she gripped his hand. 'Momo?'

'Hi, _pige_, what's this news?'

Esposito kept his eyes on Meredeth as she said, 'Momo, Javi and I are having a baby.'

The shriek that came through the phone was just as loud as Lili's and had the assistants looking over in concern, but Rosalita gave them a quick few orders and they were back to work.

'That's wonderful my dears, congratulations! When?'

'When?'

'When will you have a baby?'

'Next April, around the first my doctor' sthinks.'

'The moment you have a sonogram, I want you to email it to me. No, wait, I'll see it when I visit in two weeks.'

Meredeth nodded, she'd forgotten her grandmother was coming up from Florida; she'd had other things on her mind that week. 'Sounds excellent.'

'Constance, I have to run, it's busy-busy here, but you are more than welcome to call and talk baby ideas with me any time,' Rosalita said.

'Of course, and make sure they behave themselves!'

Esposito hung up the phone, put his hands on Meredeth's shoulders to press a kiss to the back of her head. 'We will, Mami, not to worry.'

'Good, good. Now, can you stay for a coffee and a cookie? Tea for the mama to be of course.'

'I suppose so. Javi?' Meredeth craned her neck to look at him.

'Castle texted me, we're meeting everyone for dinner at Hotaro's at seven thirty.'

'Excellent.'

Rosalita shoved her trays of cookies into the oven, then disappeared out front for a few moments; she came back with with two coffees and a small plate of pastries. 'Here we are. Decaf for Meredeth, heavy on the milk. You need lots and lots for getting your baby healthy.'

'I could get used to this pampering thing.'

* * *

By the time they were outside Hotaro's, a Mongolian-grill style bistro, Meredeth and Esposito thought they might float away on the feel-good. In addition to their friends sending messages for dinner plans, they'd fielded calls from the rest of the usual suspects like Robina and Gil, Ike and Carol. There was even a video-text to Meredeth's iPhone from Alexis Castle all the way over in England. As soon as they got to the restaurant, Esposito shut his cell off.

'We've gotten I bet you thirty texts already and that's not even including all my cousins. I'm done for the day. Everyone can leave a message,' Esposito said as they walked inside to the hostess counter. 'Hi, we're with Richard Castle's group?'

'You're Mere and Javi? The guests of honour?'

'Yes?'

'Right this way.'

Esposito looked at Meredeth, who shared his look of patient ainticipation. 'You thinking what I'm thinking?'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	4. Spoiled Already

'Of course.'

Meredeth could only shake her head as she saw the little banquet room off the main area of the restaurant had been reserved for them, and the all-stars were all there - Castle and Beckett, Ryan and Honey-Milk with Dell in his mother's arms, Lili and Cam with Rosie, the Thorntons, Lanie and Dave, and Robina and Gil. They had their own chef and grill top, and a small private minibar of beer and wine, and of course the infamous decanter of milk for the mother to be.

Lanie was the first to catch the eye of the new arrivals, and passed the almost-snoozing Carey to his daddy before she bounded over to hug her friends. 'Oh congratulations, girl! And Detective, nice work.'

'Thanks.'

'Come on, we're almost ready to sit down for food.'

As Lanie and Meredeth chatted about options for dinner that night Esposito saw Ryan leave his conversation with Robina and Gil, and walked over to his partner. The Irishman's blue eyes were sparkling as he slapped Esposito on the shoulder. 'So I guess I can tell this little guy or gal I've known them right from the _very_ start,' he said with his trademark cheeky grin.

'Ryan, it's not your fault or ours, it's just one of those little goofs the universe likes to play on people. Hey let me ask you something.' Esposito scratched the back of his head. 'When you announced you and Honey-Milk were having Dell like when your told your families, did it weird you out a little that they were all congratulating you? 'Cause right now, having told my parents and my sister, and Constance, not to mention the family grapevine working and getting texts from my cousins, it feels a little like people are saying 'good job fucking your wife', and it's creeping me out.'

'Oh, yeah, it's weird.' Lanie had tuned into what the boys were discussing and nodded in agreement. 'It's basically like shouting through a megaphone at your mom and dad 'yes i have sex', which is more than a little embarrassing to deal with. I don't think I'd ever seen Dave so squeamish as when my dad figured out I was pregnant.'

'You wanna talk embarrassing, Rosalita stood on the counter of her bakery and announced it to the entire shop I'm pregnant and gave everyone a free cookie because she was so excited.'

Lanie's eyes went wide in disbelief, and she looked at Esposito who nodded. 'And to think those genes are being passed on to you.'

'Don't scare her just yet, Lanie. You're going to be a great mom.' Ryan pulled Meredeth in for a hug, and because he knew it would make Esposito's neurons fry a little, gave her a kiss on the cheek. 'Anything you need, just ask, okay? I got your man's back so he can have yours. And I promise I won't tease him too, too much when you call for random grocery lists of cravings or nursing pads or anything.'

'Thank you.' Meredeth smiled at him; whatever teasing they heaped on Ryan, he was a solid man and an excellent friend. When he said if they needed anything, he meant it. 'What I'd really like right now is food. I'm starving. Do they do barbecued pork here?'

Esposito laughed as he walked over to the table with Meredeth. 'Cravings already, huh?'

They all sat down for stir-fries with jasmine rice, prepared table side, to order, along with fresh rolls and steamed dumplings; Meredeth felt like she could eat an entire hip of beef herself and still have room for a three pound lobster or two. But she wouldn't become one of those women who just let herself go because she was pregnant. No, she wanted to make sure she stayed as much herself while her body house her baby and that included not piling on the pounds.

Esposito saw the way her hand hovered over the plates and shook his head. No way was he going to let this night or the next nine months become a battleground between her and her appetite. She needed to understand that gaining weight now wasn't because she had a never-ending appetite; she was nourishing another human being via her body. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, 'It's okay to be hungry, Mere. How many do you want?'

'Two fresh rolls and two dumplings.'

'Then have two of each.' He kissed her cheek reassuringly. 'No one's going to judge you.'

'Okay.'

Esposito ran his hand over her back supportively, pleased when she dipped her fresh roll in sticky honey-garlic sauce and sighed in culinary delight. 'This is so good,' she sighed.

'What's in it?'

'Barbecued chicken, alfalfa, and shredded cabbage with ginger. It's heavenly.'

'And full of good things to eat.' Esposito made a mental note to ask the doctor and nutritionist about different styles of cooking and what things were best to eat and avoid when a mother to be was trying to watch her weight like Meredeth. 'You'll do just fine. What's in the dumplings?'

'Seasoned pork, carrots, cabbbage onions and sprouts.'

'Sounds delicious. Can you make them at home?'

Meredeth nodded as she swallowed her mouthful of fresh roll. 'Yeah, they're really easy.'

'You'll have to show me.'

'Excuse me, a little toast here.' Ever needing to share what was on his mind, Castle stood up with his wine glass in hand. 'I'd just like to say a very happy congrats to Meredeth and Esposito and just like with Honey-Milk and Ryan, Lili and Cam, and Lanie and Dave, we're all here to say how much we love you both and cannot wait to add more to the next generation of the Twelfth Precinct. And if you have a boy, Richard is an excellent name.'

They all clinked glasses and Meredeth saw Castle come over with a small gift bag. 'Okay, do you just like order these in bulk and when one of us gets knocked up, you have our gifts on hand?' she laughed.

'No, I just have friends in the right places for getting things done in a timely fashion. Open up.'

Meredeth reached into the gift bag and pulled out a onsie of softest white cotton; on the front was printed the words _Our Little Firecracker_ surrounded by fireworks.

'Oh it's so cute!'

'I figured you'd like that, since he or she was actually conceived on July Fourth.'

* * *

When they got back to Chelsea, Meredeth could feel the drain of an overwhelmingly emotion day begin to take its toll on her body. All she wanted was sleep. And maybe a club sandwich on toasted brioche. No, she could hold off on the cravings, she thought, it was only day one, though she was technically almost two months pregnant.

Esposito locked the door dropped his keys in the bowl. 'How you feeling, Mama?'

'Tired. You, Daddy?'

'Tired too. But not in the mood for bed just yet.'

'Oh?'

'I was thinking, we could have a nice hot bath together. Not too hot, I don't want a poached embryo.'

Meredeth laughed. 'That sounds great.'

Fifteen minutes later, the old-fashioned clawfoot tub in the upstairs bathroom was filled with soothing warm water that smelled of coconut. Esposito had dumped in the oils into the water and was just settling his naked self into the porcelain tub when Meredeth came in in her kimono. He watched her unbelt the silky robe and hang it on the back of the door and just looked at her body - she had far and away the most beautiful breasts he'd ever seen in his life. Lush and full and dotted with freckles, one he especially liked very near her right nipple. Her hips rounded out, giving her a pear-shape again dotted with freckles in some very naughty places. His gaze drifted downward to her tattoo, where she carried her mother with her always.

She was growing their baby in there, he thought in amazement.

Her feet slipped into the water and Esposito adjusted his position so she could fit the small of her back at the vee of his legs. That way, he could wrap his arms around her and still be comfortable; the tub was wider than most so it allowed for some very romantic nights together like this.

'Hey,' he murmured against her ear.

'Hey.'

'So, which room will we turn into the nursery?'

'The guest room closest to ours,' she said without hesitating. 'It's got the most room for a crib and a change table and everything we'll need to put in. And we'll need books.'

'Like _What to Expect When You're Expecting?_'

Meredeth nodded. 'Dave also said the one he read with Lanie being pregnant, _Baby Boom_, it's really good for first-time fathers, very, ah...what's the word, compassionate? Like it says these are the things you can do not only for you preparing to be a parent but also how to keep your relationship with your partner strong. Things like this.'

'Well, truthfully, this was his idea.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, I was talking to him when you went to the ladies' room, telling him how we're both excited but nervous, and he said things like this, our own intimacies and especially sex, are great ways of showing you support while you grow our little Alejo or Rosie.'

'Alejo or Rosie?'

'Just a thought on names.'

'Back to Dave.' Meredeth leaned back, heard her husband's heart beat in his chest as she did so. 'What did he say about sex during pregnancy?'

'Basically, unless the doctor says otherwise, no need for us to cut out being intimate with each other, both oral-' he kissed one side of her neck '-and vaginal.'

'Vaginal is a creepy word, but I see your point.'

'And when you're really pregnant, like five, six months, that's when positions might be a little trickier but we can always work that out.'

'We always do. Lanie told me when she was about five months pregnant, her and Dave really favoured their couch because of the back and Honey-Milk said she and Ryan really dug dong it spoons style since she puffed up so quickly, that and her on top.'

'Oh, I don't need to know that part,' Esposito started to protest, then cut himself off when he remembered that Ryan, the poor unlucky bastard, had accidentally walked in when he and Meredeth had been locked in a passionate moment, buck-ass naked in Castle's boathouse apartment. The moment, in fact, that had led them here. 'And I know it's the elephant in the room for you, no pun intended, but when you start to put on your pregnancy weight, we'll take you shopping and make sure you look fantastic, and get you signed up for like yoga or something. And you know what happens when you gain weight too, along with the hormones, right?'

'What?'

'These-' he cupped her breasts and squeezed lovingly '-will look even more juicy and delicious. You'll have guys breaking their necks when you walk into the subway.'

'What is it about men and big boobs.'

'I was reading _National Geographic_ once and it said that in cavemen days, women with larger breasts were desired for mates because it was thought they would have a better ability to nourish infants.'

'And how do we get from that to drooling over Pamela Anderson and Christina Hendricks?'

'Not a clue. But you, you're going to look better than Pam or Christina.'

Merdeth smiled. 'I love you, Javi.'

'Love you too, Mere.'

'Even when I'm pruny?' Meredeth held up her hands, showed him her fingertips which looked like wrinkled peas.

'That's the sign it's time to dry off. Besides. I have a little gift for you.'

* * *

When they'd changed into their pjs, Meredeth stretched out on the bed on her side, curious as to what he might have in store for her. She lay on her back, wiggling her toes, thinking about how much she was going to miss being able to see her feet in a few months time. But by then, she'd have another set of feet keeping her attention focused - the ones of her baby that would probably be kicking her bladder morning noon and night; that's what Lanie said Carey had done to her.

'Here we go.'

Esposito passed Meredeth a flat box wrapped in red paper with silver hearts on it. 'I wrapped it with leftover Valentine's paper,' he explained.

'It's still adorable.' She lifted the lid on the box. 'Oh.'

She lifted the faded white blanket out of the box, saw there was a matching little toque to go with it; along the edges of the fabric were multicoloured stars clustered together in trios. 'It's lovely.'

'It was mine.'

'What?'

'This was the blanket the doctor wrapped me up in when I was born, when he put me in my mother's arms for the first time. My mom held onto both Lili's and mine, so we could use them for our babies, create our own family antiques.'

Meredeth bit her lip to try and hold onto the tears as she refolded it to keep it safe until they had the baby's room furnished and she could put it in a drawer in there. 'I think I just fell in love with you a little more.'

'Oh and Ryan and Dave both said for me to get you a big tub of cocoa butter lotion, apparently they said it's really good for helping prevent stretch marks and-'

He was cut off when she leaned in and kissed him, wrapped her arms around him to hold him tightly. 'You are going to be such a great dad, Javi.'

'Yeah, I mean, look at you already. Talking about the nursery and names and getting the books and spoiling me with gifts, and talking to your friends who are already dads. I couldn't wish for better.'

'I love you Mere. What else would I be doing?'

'I love you too.'

'Hey, I have an idea.'

Giggling at how purely excited he was, Meredeth watched him leap up, go to his dresser to grab his digital camera. 'Are you sure you've cut back on your caffeine?' she teased him.

'Here, lie on your back, with your shirt up off your belly.'

He positioned her, then stood at the side of the bed. 'There. Now we can keep a photo journal of your belly getting bigger with each week, and we can line 'em up side by side in a baby book. You know, sonogram on one side and you on the other, inside and out.'

Meredeth could only smile. He really was going to make an excellent father.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	5. Baby's First Photoshoot

'You nervous?'

'No. Should I be?'

'Not at all. This is an external exam. The internal ones come a little later, when there's more development.'

Esposito nodded as he looked around the exam room of the clinic at Saint Vincent's. As it was a rotation day for Harvey at the hospital and the nutritionist they'd wanted to consult with kept an office there as well, they'd agreed to meet them there for Meredeth's appointment. The room itself reminded him a little of his physiotherapy room where he'd worked with the PT guy after he'd been shot, only instead of it being recovery-related artwork on the walls, this was all babies - black and white photographs of expectant mothers at various stages of gestation, helpful hints on getting proper rest and exercise, and some other informative posters . He imagined the big mural poster of fish was for the dads to be who didn't want to think about the horror-show of childbirth in however many months time.

On the padded exam table, Meredeth had stripped off her clothes and donned a hospital gown and it had made Esposito only a little discomfited that she'd neatly folded her panties along with her crop pants and end of summer blouse. He knew it was ridiculous as Harvey was nothing if not professional, but he liked to believe that the only person who got to see that intimate part of Meredeth was him.

Meredeth looked at her hubby, recognizing the expression on his face quite well. 'Javi, it's okay. Harvey's a doctor, a damn good one too, so if you're thinking he'd get off on giving me a rather invasive pelvic exam, remember it's his job to look at women's parts like any other body part, just like Lanie deals with causes of death.'

'That obvious huh?'

'No, I just know you better than most,' she smiled, and stretched out her hand towards him. He stood up and grasped it tightly in his.

'I know he's a total pro and I trust him completely. He delivered our niece, remember?'

'That he did.'

'And if Lili, the most uptight woman I know about sex, can handle him examining her and taking care of her, then I know it's all good.'

'Hey, listen, will you have time for food when we're done?'

Esposito laughed; he'd noticed Meredeth hadn't necessarily increased what she'd been eating since finding out she was pregnant, but it had changed in pattern - smaller meals on a more consistent basis. 'What are you feeling?'

'Thai rice noodles with beef and peppers from Monsoon's.'

'I think we can handle that.'

The door opened, and Harvey came in dragging in the ultrasound equipment. 'Hello Esposito family, how are we today?'

'Excited,' Esposito said. 'I can't wait to see him or her.'

'Glad to hear it. We're going to start with a quick physical exam,' Harvey said, wrapping a blood-pressure cuff around Meredeth's bicep, took a reading. 'One-eighteen over seventy-seven, and resting heart-rate is sixty-four.'

'That's good?' Esposito asked.

'Very good.' Harvey adjusted his stethoscope, placed the pad between Meredeth's breasts, listening to her breath sounds. 'Heart's good and strong too, no sounds or signs of disease to worry about. Okay, over to the scale.'

Meredeth swallowed a little as she hopped off the table and stepped on the scale; Esposito noted she'd kept her eyes closed and was breathing to try and keep herself calm.

'One seventy-two. You've dropped about twelve pounds since April,' Harvey commented, making the notation in her chart.

'I wanted to try and lose some pounds so I'd be in a better starting position for baby-weight gain.'

'Keep in mind muscle weighs more than fat and you've got very muscular legs from doing your dance cardio exercises, though,' the doctor reminded her as she hopped back up on the padded table. 'So the important thing isn't so much the number on the scale, I mean it is important as an index, but the inches on your waist and the strength of your cardiovascular system are far more vital for myself and your nutritionist to determine your level of health.'

'See?' Esposito stood up from his chair, went to the head of the exam table to be near his wife, as Harvey sat on the rolling stool at Meredeth's feet and pulled on protective surgical gloves. 'You're in better shape that you thought you were.'

'I guess so.'

'Okay, I'm going to finish with a short pevlic here, so deep breath in Meredeth, and blow it out.'

Meredeth followed his instructions, still felt the unwelcome pinch of his hands, brusque and business like. She scrunched up her face, and snorted a little. 'Oh, that's not fun,' she said, making Esposito laugh.

'That's not what you say when I've got my hands on you.'

'A, you're not wearing latex glove when you do so, and B, you're trying to make me feel good. Harvey's checking for cysts or polyps or anything else that needs attending to, right?'

'Exactly right, Meredeth.' Harvey twisted his wrist, and chuckled a little when Meredeth winced comically. 'Javier, imagine sitting on a bike with no seat. That's how your wife described it to me once and almost every other one of my patients agrees with her. And everything looks good, here, Meredeth, your walls are good and strong, which means the chances of miscarriage are very slim. Obviously we can't say impossible, because there's always an outside chance of anything going wrong, but you've got a great basis for keeping your baby healthy.'

Harvey switched hands, moved to check for hemorrhoids, nodded. 'Everything feels good back there too, but you may want to keep a watch on that just in case. You've had your appendix removed, and don't ask me why but the women I've seen who have had an appendectomy are more prone to colorectal inflammation. One of nature's little anomalies, I guess. You don't engage in anal intercourse do you?'

'No,' they chorused.

'Good, because if you did, I'd say it's something you should avoid right now. But as far as regular intercourse is concerned, feel free to keep up whatever you're comfortable with, so long as there is no condom use as the spermicide can cause irritation.'

'See?' Meredeth kissed Esposito's hand that he'd rested near her face. 'We're good to go.'

'So that's one each.'

'Yep.'

'Alright, it's time for everyone's favourite part.' Harvey tossed his used gloves into the medical waste hamper, put on fresh as he reached for the bottle of blue ultrasound gel. 'This will be a little chilly.'

Sure enough, Meredeth squeaked, felt the goosebumps when the jelly hit her warm skin. 'It's like Arturo sneezing on me,' she laughed.

Harvey chuckled, turned on the screen as he moved the wand over her abdomen. 'Okay, there is the bladder, and there is your uterus, and there-' he pointed to the wobbly shape in the center of the black space on screen '-is your little miracle. This flickering right here,' he explained, moving the screen arrow to the center, 'that's the baby's heartbeat. Good and strong too, one-forty-four. Here, have a listen.'

Meredeth reached out her hand and felt him link her fingers through his, and heard him inhale sharply as the room filled with the sound of the heartbeat. She felt her own eyes well up as she listened and wasn't surprised when her husband lowered his mouth to her brow, and felt two little tears drip onto her skin.

'Oh. Oh, Javi.'

'That's it,' he breathed, watching the little image on screen, saw the little flickering; his own heart gave an extra hard knock in his chest. 'That's our baby.'

Harvey smiled as he watched them. He remembered them well from when the detective's sister had been in the hospital when he'd been called in to George Washington Memorial to deliver Lili and Cam's baby, and had thought of them as a lovely couple. Now they were married and would be parents soon themselves. He pushed a couple of buttons on the machine, made some measurements.

'So from the looks of this, you're at about seven weeks and six days, Meredeth, almost a full eight weeks, which means our initial estimate of your due date, April first, is fairly accurate. Of course, we keep a close watch on fetal development and we'll make sure you have lots of updates and information.' Harvey hit a few more buttons to make a recording of the sonogram and to print out a still copy. 'I'll give you two a moment while we wait for the nutritionist. She had some appointments run long this morning.'

Harvey slipped out of the room, and the moment he did, Meredeth let out a sob as she sat up, sopping up the gel on her abdomen as she did. 'Javi, look at that,' she said in a watery voice. 'Look what we made.'

'I know.' Esposito had never felt so powerful or more secure in his masculinity as that moment, see the evidence of their love on that screen, a little miracle growing in his Meredeth. 'Our little firecracker.'

'I love you so much.'

'I love you too.'

'You gonna get sick of me saying that every time we do something baby-related?'

Esposito laughed. 'Not in the slightest. You?'

'Nope. Pass me my underwear, please.'

A few minutes later, Meredeth was back in her street clothes and Harvey had returned, along with a sturdy redheaded woman who wore a pale orange lab coat over her summer business wear, and carried some books in her hands along with a few DVDs.

'Hi, I'm Nicole Phillips, I'm the resident nutritionist here and I understand from talking to Doctor Harvey, you're concerned about your weight gain for your pregnancy.'

'Yes, I mean, from a purely physical stand-point, I don't want to overtax my body by adding weight it might not be able to handle,' Meredeth explained.

'Understandable, especially for a first pregnancy. I've had a chance to review your chart just now with Harvey and from the looks of things, you already take good care of yourself, it's simply your body type and metabolism that keeps pounds on. You're young, your heart is strong and you've got no history of coronary disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or respiratory illness so then my main concern for you would be keeping a balanced diet. Your body already has the weight to physically support your baby but we want to make sure it develops properly with essential nutrients.'

'Exactly.'

'Okay. I'm going to give you this software, it's the ltatest in prenatal technology,' Nicole said, passing them one of the DVD cases. The title on the cover had Esposito laughing.

'The Mommy Muncher?'

'It's a digital food journal and calendar to help you plan out your meals in a balanced way so you can see if you're lacking in something, and lets you accommodate as well for cravings. It comes with over two thousand recipes all containing foods approved as safe for pregnant women so if you're unsure you can consult it. This version, the latest out, it includes membership for the on-line community as well so if you have questions you can talk to other moms.'

Esposito saw the way Meredeth perked up at the word 'recipes'; he knew his little mama bird would love nothing more than nesting in her kitchen. 'What about caloric intake and weight gain?'

'Given her physicality and current weight, I would say fifteen to twenty pounds is ideal. Anything over twenty-five would start to be in the danger zone.'

'Okay.' This was the answer that Meredeth had been waiting to hear for nearly a week. 'But exercising and keeping my diet steady and healthy should help stay out of that danger zone, right?'

'It should. I'll be working closely with Harvey to make sure .' Nicole reached out and patted Meredeth's arm. 'More than anything, I don't want you to be robbed of the joy of being a first-time mom because you're stressed about what to eat. That's not to say you can pig out, but if you indulge a craving for Chinese or pizza or a burger once in awhile, just like in real life, once in awhile is okay but not for a steady diet. I'll be with Harvey at your next appointment and we can go over anything you have concerns about.'

'When is that?' Esposito asked.

'I'd like to see you back in three weeks, Meredeth, just before we get to the end of your first trimester, on the twenty-second at eight-thirty, okay?'

'Okay.'

* * *

They left the hospital to head to the pharmacy for Meredeth's prenatal vitamin prescription and Esposito noticed his wife's whole attitude had shifted since before they'd gone. 'Feel better now, having talked to Nicole and Harvey?'

'Tonnes. And I still want my burger, but instead of fries, I'm getting a really big salad, chock full of leafy green goodness.'

'I thought you wanted Thai food.'

'Oh, yeah, that's much better idea.' Meredeth thought of the Mommy Muncher software in her bag. 'It's on the safe foods list, right?'

'Absolutely.'

As Monsoon's was close to the precinct, they picked up take-out, and feeling generous, they got Ryan's favoured veggie soba, Beckett's cashew chicken and Castle's som tam. The moment they stepped off the elevator on the Homicide floor, Esposito saw Ryan's head snap up like a hound scenting blood. By the time Esposito reached his desk, he coudl actually see his partner's nostrils' twitchin in anticipation.

'You brought Monsoon's, didn't you?' he said breathlessly, paperwork forgotten.

'Yes, you child. Veggia soba, as usual.' Esposito plunked the carton along with napkins and chopsticks down on the desk, and Ryan's eyes lit up like Christmas.

'Oh, yum.'

'Doesn't your wife feed you?' Meredeth ribbed him good-naturedly.

'Not like this.'

'I smell delicious Thai treats.'

Castle had wandered up, along with Beckett, and were delighted as Meredeth passed them each a carton. 'How was everything at the baby doc's this morning?'

'Good, even have baby's first picture.' Meredeth turned to Esposito, grinned widely. 'Show them.'

Esposito dug his wallet out of his back pocket and tug out the sonogram photo. 'Right there,' he said, point to the almost-centre of the photograph. 'That's my baby's heart-beat.'

He was so enraptured by the image he didn't notice the little knowing glances that passed between Ryan and Castle; the latter used his chopsticks to snag a papaya shred from his carton.

'Isn't that something?' he said, beaming with pride, then finally clued in to the look on his partner's face. 'What?'

'As of this moment, right now, you never ever get to tease me about dad-related things ever again.' Ryan sucked up a soba noodle like a string. 'Oh, and thanks for lunch, bro.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	6. Chatting Daddies

It was barely an hour into Ryan and Esposito's shift when they caught a fresh body - a dead hooker in the low rent streets of the meat-packing district, and because it was the universe's day to laugh at them, they walked under the tape of the alley to find Perlmutter, the most humourless person in the history of life, doing his ME thing while the uniforms kept the working girls and passers-by at bay.

'What's the word Perlmutter?'

'Cause of death asphyxiation by compression.'

'Compression?'

'His lungs were crushed, you can tell from the broken ribs under there,' Perlmutter sneered at Ryan, making Esposito close his eyes in a slow blink and pray for patience. He was happy for Lanie that she'd had Carey but he really prayed she came back to work soon, as four months of Sidney Perlmutter doing most of their crime scenes was a lot to take. But something he said had Esposito pausing.

'Hold on, you said _his _lungs?' Esposito gave the body the once over - long blond hair, fine facial features, well toned legs in high heels all said woman to him.

'We are in the meat-packing district,' Perlmutter said with a sour smile and flipped up the edge of the dead hooker's skirt to reveal male genitalia, the sight of which had Ryan and Esposito both coughing.

'Guy's a freakin' horse,' mutter Ryan, taking notes as Perlmutter continued.

'Yeah, well, that's the living for you, everyone's got weird tastes they'd soon die for than reveal. Liver temp says he dropped in between two and six this morning, but lividity says he's been moved.'

'Any fibres on him?'

Perlmutter sneered again; his favourite expression. 'Do I look like CSU? I'll collect, they'll process, you'll know and the sooner I can finish our tea-time here, the sooner you'll have your answers.'

Espoosito waited until Perlmutter was out of the alleyway before he let it out. 'You know, one of these days, I'm going to steal Carey and give him to Meredeth for thirty-six hours, you know, just long enough so Lanie can come back for a day and half and we won't get saddled with that pissy annoying little man.'

'I heard he can't get anyone to fill in on Lanie's maternity leave because no one wants to work with him. Hey Geoffs,' Ryan called to the uniform who'd finished taking information from the woman who'd presumably found the body. 'You got anything useful?'

'Cerise Fontaine, age twenty-three, found by her friend Miss Poppy there. They live in back-to-back apartments here, and Miss Poppy was cutting through the alley and saw Miss Fontaine in her, ah, work clothes,' Geoffs said, trying to hide his smirk, 'and thought she'd passed out, but when she checked for a pulse, she called nine-one-one.'

'Bring her over.'

Geoffs nodded, then motioned in a 'come-ahead' way to the witness, and Esposito swallowed a little - Miss Poppy was easily Castle's size and probably towered over him in her three inch platform heels. Her skin was toffee-coloured and her hair matched in a stylish, if unnatural way. She spoke in a husky whispering falsetto that made him realize 'Miss' was preferred gender identification, not biological.

'Miss Poppy?'

'Yes, sugar.'

'It's Detective. Can you go through the details for me, the same way you did for Officer Geoffs?'

'Sure thing, sweetness. I woke up with my alarm clock to go to work and I figured, it's early and my girl Cerise could use a good hangover breakfast this morning, so I left my apartment around eight-fifteen. I went to cut through the alley instead of walking all the way around the block and I almost tripped over poor Cerise.'

'Do you two work together?'

Miss Poppy smiled, showing off straight white teeth. 'I style at a hair salon on Sixteenth so my schedule's a little different than hers, but Fridays are my mornings off and I know she likes two-for-one tequila shots over at Elephant Walk and she doesn't always know how to say no, you know? Well anyways,' she waved a well-manicured hand that could easily palm a watermelon, 'I checked her pulse and when I didn't feel anything, I called nine-one-one and waited until you got here to do anything.'

'And can anyone verify your whereabouts between two and six am?'

'Yes, you can get my phone records, the land line ones. I was home watching the Trailblazers-Jazz game on ESPN, and I ordered pizza from my landline around one-forty-five, two-ish, it got to my place around two-thirty. My sister lives in Portland, Oregon and she called me midnight her time, and we talked for at least an hour and a half. After that, I was asleep until my alarm went off at seven-twenty-five.'

'We'll pull your records, verify that.'

'Anything you need.'

Esposito nodded briskly, making notes in his personalized shorthand - TB-Jz ESPN, 145 pie, sis-call 12 PST, ring-ring 725 - when he heard a yell from behind him.

'Sir!'

Both Ryan and Esposito looked over to see a uniform standing in a Dumpster. 'What you got?'

'His-slash-her purse, wallet fell out since the zipper was half-opened. Photo ID matches the vic but the name is Robert Levinson of Queens.'

'Anything else of interest in there?'

'Ah..' The uniform undid the zipper the rest of the way. 'Cellphone, wait two cellphones, bottle of Mace, keys, breath mints, and about ten condoms, give or take. Magnums,' he added for good measure.

'Log it in for evidence, get it to CSU for processing,' Ryan advised before turning back to their body. 'So what's Bob-o Levinson of Queens aka Cerise Fontaine of Manhattan doing in a dress in a meat-packing district alley between two and six in the morning that would get him asphyxiated by compression?'

'The area is popular with girls working the kink, and since most don't keep a home office, I'm guessing the SRO about a block east of here is a good place to start. Our boy is what, six even, about a buck ninety, and Perlmutter said he'd been moved so that's gonna take some muscle which means they wouldn't have gone very far with a body in their arms.'

'Could be someone put him in a wheelbarrow, or a shopping cart,' Ryan said, 'which means it's not necessarily a male spudhead we're looking for.'

'I don't think we're looking for a female bodybuilder.' Esposito paused as they walked in the direction of the SRO. 'Hey what time is it?'

'Almost nine, why?'

'Promised Mere I'd give her a shout. She was feeling queasy before bed last night and gave me a cursory 'love you kiss-kiss' before I left this morning.'

'Ah, yes, I remember those days. Why they call it morning sickness when it can hit a girl any time of day is beyond me.'

'That's what Mere said,' Esposito laughed as he dialed his house line. 'Hey baby, how you feeling?'

'Not bad. I haven't actually been sick, which I suppose is a good sign. But once the queasiness goes away I want milkshakes of various flavours, so I'm making some to store in the fridge.'

'What's the Mommy-Muncher say about milkshakes?'

'I used their recipe, it's vanilla fro-yo for less calories, skim milk, and whatever fruit I want.'

'Sounds good. I'm off at five tonight, so gimme a shout if you need anything, alright?'

'You got it. Love you, Javi.'

'Love you too, Mere.'

Esposito hung up, looked at Ryan who was having a hard time keeping a straight face. 'What?'

'Mommy-Muncher?' Ryan giggled. 'What the hell is that?'

'Oh, it's this software Meredeth got from her nutritionist to help her keep her eating habits healthy.'

'Ah yes, always a good thing. We didn't see a nutritionist when Jenny was pregnant with Dell, but I know they do great work with moms-to-be. Does it take into account cravings, though, because a couple of times, Jenny had been eating nothing but high-fibre cereal and salad all day, then sent me out at one in the morning for chicken tacos and butterscotch ice cream.'

'Well, I hope it takes vacations into account, because I'm taking Meredeth away for our anniversary.'

'That was almost a month ago, dude.'

'I'm not that thick.' Esposito shook his head, explained. 'We spent our anniversary together at home. Nice dinner, candlelight, flowers, romantic movie and you can figure out the rest from there.'

'I even have a mental picture I can add if I like,' Ryan grimaced.

'Anyways, she got me a watch for my gift and mine to her is a weekend at the place where we spent our six-months when we were dating, but they're really popular in the fall and the earliest I could get a reservation is next weekend.'

'Oh, nice, bro, and you're thinking about room service, how will that rich food play into it.'

'Exactly. Meredeth's a big fan of eggs Florentine, and I know she's looking forward to having them there because they were fantastic the last time we went, so I don't want her stressing over it. There.' All business once again, Esposito pointed to the SRO with the faded but tidy sign that read 'Rooms available by the hour, day, week and month. 'Let's go see a dude about a she-male.'

* * *

By the time they got back from their initial canvass and informing next of kin - from what Esposito could gather it was more of a 'relief of a painfully embarrassing family skeleton' than grieving a murder - he was ready for a small coffee break. He hit up Brewster in the breakroom and while he waited for the espresso to drip through he thought about the information he'd shared with Ryan, and on an inspiration called Dave at home; he knew he'd probably find him there, as Dave was spending most of his night-shift days either sleeping or in the nursery with Carey.

'Hey, Espo, what's crackin'?'

'Oh the usual, you know, dead trannie in the meat-packing district Ryan and I tagged this morning. I wanted to ask you about something, kinda on the personal side.'

'Sure.'

'Did you ever buy Lanie any maternity lingerie? Like...you know, nice stuff for a romantic night?' Esposito explained about his anniversary gift to Meredeth, which had him getting the seal of approval also from Dave.

'How far along will she be?'

'September eighteenth, about ten weeks, so just at the end of her first trimester.'

'Then I'd go with getting her something that flatters her boobs and is nice and loose around the tummy. Lanie started sleeping in her skivvies around that time because it was more comfortable when the belly really started to pop and made her feel more comfortable with her body changing instead. What are they called, negligees, those things are really popular. I got one for Lanie for Valentine's day and she was about twenty-five weeks at the time, so she was in full gumball mode and she loved it.'

'That's good to know. What was the name of the store you went to?'

'Sizzling Stork, in Mid-Town.'

'Great, thanks man.'

'Anytime.'

Esposito hung up, made the note on a piece of paper before heading back to his desk with his coffee. Ryan was already there, holding up a file.

'So dig it, phone company sent over Miss Poppy also known as Phillip Riley's call logs, and it checks out. Ordered pizza from El Capitano's at one-forty-eight, then received a call from Portland Oregon at three-oh-two am which ended at four-forty-eight. Also, Riley's clean, no priors on record, just a few standard criminal background checks for his place of employment. Her place of employment?'

'Her place. Riley identifies as a female, we use 'she' out of respect.'

'Okay. Anyways, I'll buzz her up, let her know she checked out.' Ryan looked at the pad of paper by his partner's coffee cup. 'What's 'Sizzling Stork?' You get something I missed?'

'Oh, no.' Esposito tore off the bottom half of the personal note. 'Just some, ah, shopping for Meredeth.'

'Spoiling her already, huh?'

'Let's just say I want my hot baby-mama looking and feeling like her fine self when we go away for the weekend.'

* * *

Esposito managed to make it home relatively on time, only an hour and a half after his shift ended, but mostly, it was owing to the trip he'd made to Sizzling Stork which was surprisingly not too far away from the Twelfth.

When he opened the door and was greeted by Arturo sniffing at him, he immediately smelled the homey scent of spiced meat and melted cheese.

'Hey, Javi,' she called from the kitchen, her mouth full of something.

'Hey Mere.' Esposito wandered into the kitchen, set the striped bag on the kitchen table. Meredeth's kitchen space was in full dinner prep mode, as she had her knives and graters out. The lady herself was leaning against the counter, sipping a glass of orange juice. 'What is on the menu?'

'Lasagne. I had a craving and the Mommy Muncher said when done right it's a well-balanced meal. I'm just waiting on the noodles to finish cooking, then you can help me assemble if you like.. Or you can prep the salad.'

Esposito walked around the island, wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and kissed her; she tasted of fruit and mozzarella. 'Or, I can assemble with your supervision while you open your present.'

'Present?'

'A little something to go with our anniversary trip next weekend.'

'Okay.' Curious as to what he might have picked out for her, Meredeth laughed delightedly, then sighed when she pulled the negligee from the bag. It was amethyst purple and soft as a cloud. 'This is beautiful, but is it going to fit? The books say that around thirteen weeks is when you start to actually look pregnant. and you need to start making adjustments in your wardrobe.'

'This place, the Sizzling Stork, they specialize in maternity lingerie, and the sales girl was very helpful, she said that this particular style is good for anyone from twelve to sixteen weeks.'

'The Sizzling Stork? How'd you find out about such a place?'

'Believe it or not, Dave recommended it. I remember hearing Lanie say at dinner that he'd gotten her fancy maternity lingerie for when they'd gone away for Valentine's Day last winter, and thought you might like something sweet and sexy to wear next weekend on our anniversary trip.'

Meredeth could only smile, and leaned in to kiss him but paused halfway there. 'Hold on, I think I'm gonna hurl.' She waited a few seconds, then sighed. 'Nope, false alarm.'

'You alright.'

'Yeah, now I wanna eat again.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	7. Downtime: 10 Weeks

Meredeth woke up on Friday morning, not at all surprised to hear the shower already running - on his days off, he could barely be budged with a two-by-four before nine am but only set his watch as a precaution when he was on-shift at seven am, while Meredeth would miss the apocalypse with any fewer than three alarm clocks. She drummed her hands over her stomach, a little irritated it still felt so fleshy. She wanted it to be taut and smooth, one round curve instead of 'tummy lips' as she'd thought of it, the upper and lower bubble of her stomach separated at her waist.

But the guy in the shower would call her beautiful no matter what, and that went a long way to boosting her confidence when she was all hormonal and sensitive. Kicking back the covers, she grabbed a towel from the closet and wandered into the bathroom. It had always been a ritual of theirs, to talk about the day ahead while one was in the shower and the other either waiting or

'What time are we leaving for the cabin tonight, babe?'

'I'm picking you up as soon as I'm off shift, so like between six and seven thirty.' Esposito rubbed the flat of his hand over his head to rinse out any remaining shampoo. 'I know you've got a meeting with Robina this morning at Elevation down-town. Are they still talking about a full series or are they thinking miniseries again?'

'I think they want an extended miniseries for books two and three, but they haven't even made the official offer on a second series. But I am going to be doing more commentaries than they originally planned.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, the producers listened to Kristof and myself on the premier episode track, and me and Bonnie and Mark on the writers' commentary and said they want more of it for the other six episodes, so that's also partly what today's about - getting that schedule organized. And Robina's been making noises about a talk-show circuit for my book when it hits in a few weeks, on November eighth.'

'Like going out to L.A.?' Esposito shut off the water, zipped back the curtain and was hit in the face by the towel Meredeth tossed towards him. 'Mmf. Thanks babe.'

'Love you too. And yes, going to L.A. for a few days, you know the usual players, Jimmy K, Jimmy F, Conan, and of course, Craig. But he gets the exclusive news that I'm having your child.'

'You haven't posted it on your Twitter to your adoring fans yet?' Esposito teased her. 'Does Kristof even know?'

'Of course, Robina called him and said, call Meredeth and he was amongst the many texts we got the day we found out. He keeps calling it 'Baby Hawk,' it's very cute.'

He nodded; Kristof had been one of the few childhood friends Meredeth had stayed in touch with after her mother died and she went through the hell of her cousin's torment, and though they'd drifted a little in their college years, they'd reunited in grad school and became one of the most respected artistic duos in the realm of graphic novels. Then he brought himself back to her point.

'Hold on, going to L.A., as in flying? Are you sure that's safe?'

'I'll ask Harvey on our next appointment, but I think it's only once your hit your third trimester that it's unsafe.'

'Okay.' Wrapped in his towel, Esposito put his hands on her stomach from behind, just below her navel. 'I don't want anything happening to my baby, baby. Alright, just in case I get called while you're in the shower, gimme one for good luck.'

Meredeth turned around and gave him soft, sweet kiss, the kind she knew would stay with him to make him think about what they would be up to when they went away that night. 'Love you, see you tonight.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

Esposito was true to his word and arrived home almost exactly at seven o'clock that night, and they were on the road once Beckett arrived at the townhouse to make sure Arturo would be taken care of; she'd agreed to do so almost at lightening speed when he'd asked his boss if she minded spending the weekend in Chelsea, but he put it together quickly enough. Castle was out of town doing Nikki Heat press and she didn't want to be without a big goofy animal underfoot.

When they reached the cabin, both he and Meredeth were ready just to flake after trying and busy days - the Cerise-Fontaine/Robert Levinson case had taken a rather hinging twist when they discovered on the traffic cams the last car Fontaine/Levinson was seen getting out in front of the SRO belonged to Daniel Ferric, brother-in-law of Adrien Ferric who was running for city council. The Ferrics were old money, the kind that had four or five generations running Wall Street and somehow didn't lose everything when the market went bust. As a result, he'd spent most of his time on the phone dallying around the red tape and eggshells of an above reproach family, and vented his frustration over this to Meredeth as they changed into comfortable clothes in their suite and waited for room-service.

'I just don't understand it,' he said, tugging off his shirt and reaching for his belt buckle. 'I really don't. Money doesn't make you immune to the vices and corruption and heartaches of the non-wealthy. Every family in every tax bracket has their skeletons and their drama.'

'Yeah, look at my family.'

'Exactly. Pregnancy out of wedlock, daughter dies in the military, granddaughter's nearly driven insane by her cousin. It isn't just for day-time soaps and B-movies.'

'I think every prep school mama's boy should be required to read _Peyton Place_ but that's me.' Changed into comfortable pants, Meredeth stretched out on her back on the soft king-sized bed, fatigue starting to seep in a little. She'd been fortunate that the morning sickness hadn't hit her like it had Lanie - of her friends who were now mothers, she'd most definitely had it worst - but there'd been days even before Harvey's confirmation she was growing a human being when she'd felt like she'd been run over by a truck. Today was no exception; she'd even napped a little on the car ride up. A part of her thought that she was already turning into a dull married lady but the other half of her was just thankful for the lie-down with her husband beside her. 'Oh, they have _Safari_ on demand here. And _Simon Says_.'

'Oh sweet. I didn't get to see either of those in the theatre.'

'I reviewed _Simon Says_, and actually asked my editor to send me back again because the first time I was just too enthralled.'

'Why don't we order it for when we're eating?'

Meredeth nodded, then bit her lip as she turned onto her side to face Esposito. 'Are we boring that we're not ripping each other's clothes off for our anniversary getaway the moment we walk in the door, and we're just cuddling up with cable and room-service?'

'No, for two reasons. One, it's not just about us, we've got a little one on the way who also needs attention, so if my mama Mere-bear says she needs to rest before modeling her new lingerie for me, it's all good.'

'And two?'

'We're here til Sunday afternoon. We've got plenty of time for getting naked.'

'Oh thank god, because I'm just exchausted. I really want to but I don't wanna fall asleep in the middle of it, which is exactly how I feel right now.'

'I'm not surprised. Your body's been busy burning those extra calories so our baby can have its organs and its fingernails and its eyelids by this week.'

'Someone's been doing their reading.'

'Audio-books while I'm working out at the precinct gym. Ryan hooked me up.'

There was a knock on the door, and Esposito hopped up to answer it, charging it to their room. He lifted the lids on their plates and breathed deeply. Meredeth had been very careful all week with her snacking, and to Esposito's relief, had ordered with gusto - steak, well-done with baked potato and Caesar salad, the fruit plate and for dessert, because it was their anniversary getaway, cheesecake with chocolate milk. They'd even gotten the concierge to throw in a couple of bags of low-salt popcorn from the 'snack-store'; popcorn had always been one of Meredeth's favourites but now, it was her go-to snack-food.

They sat on the end of the bed, the table wheeled up in front of them so they could have dinner and a movie, and beside him, Esposito heard Meredeth give a little growl of frustration.

'That's it.'

With no little amusement, he watched as Meredeth gave up trying to cut her steak. She simply picked it up like it was a sandwich unto itself and took a huge bite, licking the juices off of her thumb. 'Mere? You want my knife?'

'Can't hear you over beefy deliciousness. Did we get any rolls with this?'

Since Esposito way better than to mess with a pregnant woman's hormones, he nudged the basket towards her so she could make a proper sandwich and went back to his own steak. More than anything, he was just happy to see her eat without worrying about caloric content or putting on the pounds. She was his Meredeth and would always be beautiful to him.

Once finished, they stretched out on the bed to watch the film they'd ordered, the plate of fruit between them, and Meredeth pillowing her temple against his solid shoulder. She nudged the melon out of the way, going for the grapes and the strawberries instead. 'These are very mommy-friendly,' she told him, 'and I've always found they're good for digestion after a big meal.'

'Whatever you need, Mere.'

Meredeth nodded. 'The books also said this is about the time when the early symptoms of pregnancy wear off and a lot of women feel like themselves again, but they also feel like they're not really pregnant because it's the in-between stage. They look it for sure, but they don't necessarily feel it.'

'How do you mean?'

'Well, things like the morning sickness and nausea drop off, the fatigue goes away because the body's adjusted to the changes somewhat, things like that, but the baby isn't big enough to move around just yet, so it just feels like you were pregnant and now you're not.'

'Oh.' Esposito snagged a slice of pineapple, dipped it in the fresh yogourt. 'So like being in a holding pattern, even though you look all bumped-up.'

'The flip side is in the four-to-six months is when the libido is really affected by the hormones.'

'Ah, yes, I remember Ryan yawning a few times because he'd been up late with his bride.'

'Yeah, Jenn was pretty giggly too.' Meredeth smiled, dabbed a little yogourt onto her finger. 'So things like that negligee you bought me will be just about perfect. Also, if you're thinking sexy underwear, shelf bras would be a god-send.'

'Shelf-bras?'

'Yeah. Lanie said her nipples got really sensitive with the hormone increase and shelf bras were both supportive and freeing so she wasn't having itchy lace on tender parts of her body.'

'I really don't want to talk about my co-worker's nipples, Mere, even if she is your friend. But I get what you mean,' he added hastily, when he saw her face fall a little. 'It looks good without making you feel uncomfortable.'

'Hey, how's Gil doing?' Meredeth asked, thinking of her meeting with her agent. 'Robina said he's starting to get antsy, and a little nervous about being in the delivery room.'

'Sounds about right. I saw him at the gym a few days ago and he's not sure what to think about a planned C-section, even though they said that given Robina's almost forty it's much safer for her body.'

'That's good.'

'Tucker Lloyd's leaving him alone too.'

Meredeth wrinkled her nose at the mention of the atrociously misogynistic and chauvinistic Narc cop. 'Hard to think there are cops out there who fit such an awful stereotype. I don't even want to guess what he's said about me in the locker room, or our relationship, come to that.'

'Trust me, you don't want to know.' Esposito never kept things from his wife, save for the usual birthday or Christmas or anniversary surprises. Even when he had a rough day, she never had to poke at him to share because he did in his own time, after he let the day slide off his shoulders a little. But on this very touchy subject, Esposito would take it to his grave.

The second-last run-in Esposito had had with Tucker Lloyd was the day he'd acted like an asshole to Gil had nearly choked him into unconsciousness in the men's locker room at the Twelfth. Meredeth agreed the next time he made any derogatory comments, Esposito and Gil should tag-team him and teach him some manners. Then, when word had spread that he was having a baby with Meredeth, and Esposito had had all the guys congratulating him - it still felt a little like they were saying 'way to go on nailing your girl' - Tucker had been more than happy to try and stir shit up by asking if she would she give birth in a barn alongside her fellow cows or would Esposito take her over to SeaWorld for a water birth with the other whales. Esposito had said nothing, just put his name down for a sparring match in the boxing ring against the slimy idiot and pounded his ass but good. Since that day, Esposito hadn't heard a peep from him, just been on the receiving end of dirty looks from him and his wingmen.

'I know we say we tell each other everything, good bad and ugly, but this one is best left alone,' he added, and was pleased when she nodded along.

'Agreed. I have enough to worry about my own body changing without that shit-hawk crawling into my brain space. And I really don't want to spend anymore time talking about Tucker fuckin' Lloyd on our anniversary getaway weekend. New topic.'

'You want to order some more fruit with whipped cream?'

Meredeth laughed so hard, she nearly up-ended their snack. He had a real thing about eating foods off her body; she'd put her foot down at sexy alphabet cereals. Some things were good as sexy foods and regular foods, and others were better left as breakfast foods only. 'Or I can just let you lick yogourt off my stomach.'

'We tried that with ice cream, it didn't work so well.'

'But this is already melted.'

'Well then.' Esposito shifted to sit up right, effectively laying Meredeth down. He tugged up the hem of her t-shirt, picked up the spoon from the bowl. 'Why don't we teach the young'un his ABC's?'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	8. Weekend Days

The next morning, Esposito awoke to the feel of soft hands stroking over his bicep. Clenching one eye even more tightly, the other one opened and saw his wife's sleepy eyes. He snaked his hand out from under the covers and tapped her on the end of the nose.

'Morning.'

'Hello handsome.' Meredeth bit her lip, her eyes still heavy but sparkling with the look that meant only one thing to Esposito. 'You awake?'

'Almost.'

She leaned in, fused her mouth to his in a hot kiss. 'How about now.'

'You tell me.'

The kiss had most definitely gotten him awake, adding to his body's already-alert state. Tossing back the covers, Esposito pulled her close and rolled so she was underneath him. He grinned when he saw her eyes pop wide, the last remnants of sleep clear away; he'd slept naked so he knew she'd feel everything.

'I would say yes.'

Esposito kissed her lightly. 'I know you will.'

Meredeth felt the liquid rush in her veins at the feel of his lips on hers. He was such a good kisser, she thought, so many different ways he did it - gentle or sweet, in need of reassurance or desperate for her, or like this morning, just in the mood to celebrate and show her how much he loved her. His lips were soft of texture but firm in the purpose and she traced an outline of them with the tip of her tongue, felt his bump against her. The tingle went straight into her loins as she tilted her head to the side and he moved over her jaw line while his hand were very busy on the rest of her body. He'd already slid down both her bra straps - Meredeth had taken to sleeping in her underwear to feel more comfortable with her belly starting to expand, a tip she'd picked up from Lanie - and in one quick move he ran his finger down between her breasts to pop open the hooks there, the soft cotton falling away from her body.

'My beautiful Mere,' he murmured, nipping at her earlobe, his libido singing when he heard her little moan of delight. 'Just gorgeous.'

Esposito saw her smile at him, her face soft and sweet. She was definitely getting that pregnant lady glow already he thought, tracing his fingertips over her body, up to squeeze her breasts gently. They, too, were different, heavier from the hormones changing her body, but they were still scented with Meredeth's cucumber soap and French perfume, and the naughty freckles were there too. He kissed each one, saving his favourite for last so that when he reached it, he shifted his mouth a few millimetres and rolled his tongue over her nipple. Her sigh of his name was like music to his ear, and the feel of her skin was like silk. Wanting to make sure she enjoyed it as much as possible, Esposito kept his movements slow and steady, letting her know he was in no rush.

'You're so good at that.' Meredeth planted a foot on the bed, ran her hands up his back and over his shoulders. 'You make me feels so beautiful.'

'You are.'

Meredeth arched her back, then thrust her hips up against his, the need to be with him taking over her senses. She'd never felt so hot, so ready for him in their relationship, even when she'd first gone on the hormone needle as her birth-control. She gripped his head in her hands to pull him back up for a kiss, her hips thrusting impatiently at his. He understood what it was she wanted, and he slid his hand down her ribcage, over the curve of her stomach. Rising to his knees, he tugged the cotton panties she wore down her legs, then stroke his hands back up her legs.

'Tell me what you need, Mere. Taste or touch?'

'Touch.'

He nodded, saw her shift so she opened even more for him, and with one small brush of his fingertips over her, he could feel her already wet and waiting for him. Keeping his eyes on hers, he stroked her, each pass drawing little gasps from her lips. He would have kept going, given her a mind-melting orgasm but for her whispering in his ear, 'Now, baby.'

Esposito twisted, and cupping her hips, lifted her slightly off the bed to sink inside her, keeping his pace slow and steady as his mouth found hers once again. She matched his pace, breath hitching in her chest, making her breasts tremble against him.

Meredeth closed her eyes to better feel him, her lover, moving inside her. It wasn't like when they'd made their baby, hot and passionately driven but slow, and languid, the kind that spoke volumes about the depth of their love for each other. She felt the orgasm build and as it flooded through her, she sighed out what she knew he wanted to hear.

'Yes, Javi.'

Esposito heard her speak those simple words as she clenched around him, shuddered in pleasure beneath him, and turning his face to her throat, let himself come inside her.

With the sweat of good morning sex dewing on his back, he lifted his head from beside hers. 'See, I knew you'd say yes.'

'It's the purest way I can think of to tell you how much I like it.'

'Something tells me you are really going to like the wake-up calls when you hit four months.'

Meredeth giggled, then rubbed her hand over the flat of his skull. 'I think you should shave this all off again.'

'Yeah?'

'Uh-huh. Seeing you all smooth and shiny up top like that, I don't know why but I think it's so fuckin' hot, baby. Makes your eyes look amazing and intense, which is really good if you've got a hot interrogation going down.'

'Or I want to seduce my equally hot wife. Although I think she seduced me into it this morning.'

Meredeth smiled, felt him shift his hips against her. 'Plenty more where that came from.'

'I ain't Superman, babe.'

'No, you're better than that. You're Batman.'

'Well I don't have a butler named Alfred but I do have a Great Dane-boxer named Arturo.'

'See, you're half-way there.' She stretched as Esposito rolled off her onto his back, smiled when he picked up her hand in his. Looking down her body, she poked at her stomach again. 'I want those to go away.'

'What?'

'My tummy lips. See, look.' Meredeth sat up, turned so she faced him and put her hands on either side of her belly. 'The portion above and below my belly button are kinda separated like a mouth, right? I want them to just be one beautiful round smooth curve.'

'Give it another week or two. Then you'll look like you're digesting a basketball in no time.' Esposito reached up, put his palm against her stomach. He was really excited for the day when he could do that and feel their baby moving around. 'What do you feel like doing today?'

'Besides a shower and lovin' you up some more? I wouldn't mind taking a drive into town and checking out some shops, maybe grab something to eat.'

'Of course. After a shower and maybe a little top-off after breakfast.'

'Oh, now who's the hormonal one?'

* * *

They spent the majority of the day in the picturesque little town, walking through the main street and sauntering from shop to shop. Meredeth had cooed and sighed over the antique cradle in the window of a furniture store, breaking esposito's heart a little when he tugged her away from the display, but it was soon replaced when they stopped into another one named 'Busy Little Bee', a baby store that also included things for moms and dads to be.

'Hey Mere, check it out.' Esposito held up a little t-shirt that said 'You think I'm cute you should see my dad.' 'They also have ones for mommy too.'

'Oh, this is precious.' Meredeth held up a onsie decorated with little green frogs with the words 'hop to it' sprinkled in between.

'What is it with you and frogs?'

'I think they're terribly charming and misunderstood. Plus green is the most versatile of all the hues of the rainbow.'

'Fair enough. Hey, what do you think, should we get this for Dell for Christmas?' Esposito found a toddler-sized t-shirt that resembled the classic 'I'm With Stupid' shirts only this one said 'My New Best Friend'.

'It certainly fits. Now there's a head-scratcher. Dell just loves pregnant bellies, why is that?'

'You got me. He does find them fascinating doesn't he?'

Meredeth moved on to a rack of mother-to-be sized shirts, had a look through them. 'I can only imagine what he'll say to me, now that he's really chattering.'

'Hey, did I tell you Ryan and Dell are coming over next week? Honey-Milk starts nights that night and we're having X-box night at our place this week.'

'Sure, sounds great. I'm going to get this, I think.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, check it out.' Meredeth showed him the long organic cotton night gown. It was bright blue and had pairs of animals like ducks and lambs and of course frogs all napping on fluffy clouds; the words across the chest read 'Dreaming for Two'. 'It'll be great, especially for in the winter. Organic cotton's really warm.'

Esposito nodded as she went to the cashier, then rolled his eyes as he heard Ryan's ring-tone on his cell. 'Hey, listen, bro, I'm on vacation so unless there's a body-'

'There is. Our girl Miss Poppy was found dead in her apartment this morning. Captain says you're needed back here, pronto.'

'Fuck.' Esposito swore under his breath as he watched Meredeth key in her debit pin at the counter, the bag already in her hand. 'Okay, tell him I'm at least four hours from the precinct and I'll get there as quickly as possible.'

He hung up, saw Meredeth's delighted grin which made him feel like an even worse husband. 'Meredeth I'm so sorry, but we have to head back to the city. I'm needed for a case. Captain's orders.'

'That blows.'

'If you like, I can rent a car and you can stay in the room since we're paid until tomorrow.'

'No, no.' Meredeth shook her head, took his hand in hers as they left the shop. 'We're a team, peanut-butter and jelly. You have to go back to the city, I go with you.'

'God I love you.' There was no way Esposito would be able to put into words how much he adored Meredeth's very clear and simplistic understanding of the demands of his job, and that it would occasionally interrupt on his personal time. He stopped them on the sidewalk and gave her a sloppy, noisy kiss. 'Peanut-butter and jelly, huh?'

'Yeah, you're smooth and I wiggle and jiggle.'

'Like I said, I love you.'

Meredeth smiled, tugged on his hand to get him moving again in the direction of the hotel. 'If you don't my nosiness, did whoever called say who it was?'

'Ryan, it was our very helpful trannie neighbour, Miss Poppy.'

'The six-and-a-half foot black beautician?'

'That's the one.' Another reason he loved talking to her about his work - Meredeth's gift for words made her descriptions both stylish and concise. 'She was the one who found her neighbour, Cerise-slash-Robert.'

'The meat-packing hooker. But why would anyone want her dead when all she did was her civic duty and her job as a friend?'

'I'll detail it for you as we pack.'

* * *

Esposito dropped Meredeth off at home before heading into work. They'd discussed ideas the entire way down from upstate, and he had to admit, she was very good. Maybe not as outlandish as Castle but being a mystery writer in her own right, Meredeth had suggested that Miss Poppy probably heard something she wasn't supposed to from Cerise-slash-Robert and whoever killed Cerise-slash-Robert found out who she'd blabbed whatever the information was to Miss Poppy iced her too. It wasn't much but it did give Esposito enough to mull over when he went back to work.

He saw Montgomery standing by his desk, looking sober and sympathetic. 'I'm sorry to cut your plans upstate with Meredeth short, Detective, but I knew you'd want in on this.'

'She was a nice lady. Solid, you know, didn't embellish, didn't hide, didn't play the 'court order' card when we needed to check her phone records.'

'We should all be so lucky to get wits like that.' Montgomery gave him the file that Ryan had begun. 'Your partner should be back soon. Hey, how's Meredeth doing?'

'Good so far. Morning sickness is mostly gone, though she still gets tired fairly easily. She's going for another check up next week and it's probably goin to look like an actual human instead of a mutant potato.'

Montgomery laughed at his detective's description of the sonogram image. 'Listen, Esposito, we kicked the hornet's nest by ID'ing Ferric's car at the SRO, and they're going to come gunning for our blood if we don't have anything solid on them so you do whatever it takes to get this done quick quietly and by the book. The last thing we need is an old New York family with cash to burn breathing down our necks.'

'Yes sir.' Esposito waited until Montgomery had left before he flipped through Ryan's notes. He was engrossed in it so much he almost missed Meredeth's call on his cell. 'Hey baby, was Arturo missing us?'

'Not as much as you'd assume. I think his Auntie Katie was spoiling him rotten. Listen, I know you're pressed for time, but can I give you a list for dinner tonight? Mendelssohn's is open twenty-four-seven so dont' worry if it's after hours.'

'Sure, but make it quick, we've got a lot to do tonight.'

'Shrimp salad, arugula, blood oranges, Italian lemon soda, low sodium tortilla chips, provolone cheese and some of those chinese pork dumplings. Oh and if they have Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, that'd be awesome, but only that one. Anything else I've got here at home.'

'You got it babe.'

'Okay, go find Miss Poppy's killer. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Esposito hung up, aware of the presence at the side of his desk. He glanced up, saw it was Ryan himself. 'Hey bro, you just get here?'

'Yeah. Baby mama needs some snacks, does she?'

'Just a few things when I get off shift. Stop grinning like that,' Esposito told his partner, who'd taken a seat in the chair beside his.

'Can't help it. Javier Esposito on a cravings run for his baby-mama. This is such a proud moment for me.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	9. Booster Needed

'Philip Riley also known as Miss Poppy, age forty-one, cause of death asphyxiation.'

'Just like Cerise-slash-Robert?'

'No. That was compression of the lungs. This was smothering.'

Esposito picked up the autopsy report, thankful it had been Shane Weaver and not Perlmutter who'd caught that detail; his temper was only so elastic about plans with Meredeth, particularly those on booked vacation time, were cut short and facing the surly-on-a-good-day ME would have resulted in fresh bloodshed. 'Shane found flakes of recycled plastic in the airway and lungs, and polymer residue on his mouth, nose and skin, and there were signs of lacersation,' he explained to Beckett, who sat on her desk in front of his and Ryan's murder board. 'Someone put a grocery bag over her head and pulled tight from behind.'

'Poppy's a big girl, at least six-four, and she's got a reach like Abe Lincoln, she would have to be either asleep, incapacitated or knew her attacker well enough that they could get the drop on her without being suspicious. What about toxicology?'

'Glass of wine, an antibiotic for strep-throat and a single dose of Naproxen, which is an NSAID class muscle-relxant, very popular for women with bad PMS. Meredeth takes it, or did,' he explained off Beckett's curious look. 'Shane had the medical records sent over with the autopsy and it showed she had a bad back, the Naproxen was prescribed for that.'

'Okay. And what about phone records and financials?'

'Ryan's on the horn with the bank, and the phone records don't indicate anything out of the ordinary. She was really tight with her sister, lots of calls to Portland, and orders for take out here and there, medical appointments, wrong numbers, nothing really jumping out.'

'What about a cell phone?'

'SIM card's with CSU, hopefully they'll have something soon.'

'Hey.' Ryan hung up his desk-line. 'Just followed up with Bank of America branch where Poppy kept a couple of accounts, looks like she was more than just a neighbour with Cerise-slash-Robert. She co-signed a chequing account for him three months ago, and was making regular cash deposits. Sometimes the amount would vary but every other Friday from the day the account was opened, there was a deposit made at the branch where the account was opened.'

'Maybe Miss Poppy was a client of Cerise-slash-Robert's?' Beckett theorized.

'Nope, bank manager said it was both of them who made deposits on a regular basis for that account, like it was a marital joint account almost.'

'Miss Poppy was a stylist, could be Cerise was her client, you know, off the books kinda work, right? Only instead of paying Poppy directly, they set up an account for Cerise-slash-Robert to have some money squirreled away.'

'Bank records are pretty sparse for Cerise-slash-Robert and his Mastercard was balanced to zero. Okay, Ryan, head down to the bank, see if you can get anything else out of the manager, then hit up Cerise-slash-Robert's bank, same deal. Esposito, I want you on phone records, tracking down anything that might indicate Poppy was going to get popped.'

'You got it, boss.'

Ryan waited until Beckett had gone to update Montgomery before he turned to his partner. 'How come you're here so early? Thought Meredeth had a doctor's appointment today.'

'Just a check-in with her nutritionist, so she said I shouldn't worry about missing it. You still on for X-Box tonight?'

'Me and the man will see you at seven-thirty.'

'Any more slips of the tongue land you in hot water with Honey-Milk?'

Ryan shook his head; he'd accidentally taught his son a new word - 'shit' - when he'd been putting together a new shelving unit for the apartment. His lovely wife hadn't taken it too kindly when she heard the same word pop out of Dell's mouth the next morning at breakfast. 'We're good and Dell's hasn't said it since. But he's pushing the buttons and going Sshhh all the time whenever something bad happens.'

'Why?'

'Because he's two and a half and that's what they do, they push the buttons.' Ryan flipped out his cell to call the bank manager. 'I'll let you know if I found anything that pops at the banks.'

* * *

By eight that night, boys-night-in was well underway. Esposito had gotten a text from Meredeth that she was going to be running late due to a meeting with her editor at WebZine so if he could pick up some barbecued wings, apple juice and garden salad, she'd really love him even more; he picked up enough for the four of them to eat together. Ryan had stopped by his apartment to pick up Dell and his bag, and the moment they were in the door, Esposito wasn't sure who was full of more chatter, Dell or his papa.

'Javi! Games!'

Dell passed the disc-case to Esposito proudly, as he sat on his father's hip. 'Big boys.'

'That's right, that game is for the big boys.'

'Lego man?'

'We'll play Legos when Auntie Merry gets home. Come here big man.' Esposito took the babbling Dell from Ryan, settled him on his own hip. 'For now, you can play with your dinos, okay?'

'Kay.'

They settled Dell on the floor of the living by the coffee table, set up his playing area and his treasured dino collection while Ryan popped in the disc; because he was still trying to earn good-hubby points, he turned the volume almost to mute. _Havana Hellcats_ was a great game but it was also very loud, and Dell was sensitive to noise, often waking up in tears during bad thunderstorms from a dead sleep.

They'd made it to the underground lair of the drug king-pin when Ryan looked around, confused.

'Where's Meredeth at?'  
'She had a late meeting with her editor at WebZine. She should be home soon.'

'Everything go smoothly with her check-up this morning?'

Esposito smiled, selecting his weapon for the street fight his avatar was about to engage in. 'She's in great health, following the plan Nicole set, exercising lots, so it's just a matter of keeping her spirits up about her body.'

'I remember the first time Jenn couldn't get a zipper done up on a pair of jeans. I thought I'd float away on that river of tears.'

'Meredeth considers herself the token fat girl in her group of friends, so she's particularly sensitive about the topic of weight gain.'

'That's crazy.'

'That's years of always being the girl who had to rely on her brain to get a date while the girls who looked like lollipop sticks were beating the men off with a broom.'

'Ah, yeah she wouldn't really fit in to the whole heroin-head strung out model look would she?'

'And thank god she doesn't. Not saying your girl isn't lovely, bro, but I love that Meredeth's a curvy goddess.'

Ryan smiled; he could all but see the hearts in his partner's pupils as he talked about his wife. 'I'll be sure to mention that to Jenn, she and the girls want to surprise her with a little dinner party later this week.'

Esposito opened his mouth to respond when the front door opened and slammed. He could hear Meredeth muttering under her breath, and immediately went on red alert.

'Hey, baby! I got the double order of wings for dinner tonight,' he said hesitantly, pausing his game and going over to see his wife. He stopped short when she turned her red-rimmed eyes to him, snarled a 'Leave me alone,' and ran upstairs. Esposito stood there dumbstruck as he heard the bedroom door slam. Meredeth never spoke to him like that, even when she'd had rough lady-times. He glanced back at Ryan, and even Dell had stopped playing to witness the tableau; both pairs of round blue eyes were shining with concern.

'Dude,' was all Ryan said.

Unsure of what had gone wrong since he'd gotten her text, Esposito crept upstairs, opened the door and saw Meredeth with her back turned to him as she sobbed uncontrollably on the bed.

'Mere? Something happen?'

'I gained six pounds, that's what happened.'

'Just now?'

'No, you idiot.' Meredeth sobbed into the pillow. 'Since my last cheek up with Nicole and Harvey. I'm getting fat.'

'Meredeth, we knew you'd gain weight with the baby.'

'Not this quickly!'

'Six pounds in three months isn't that bad. My cousin Felipe's wife gained fifteen by the time she was three months.'

'She was a stick figure with tits, though. I've seen her pictures. She makes Nicole Richie look like a heifer! My ass is already the size of Jupiter to begin with. I was at the drug-store, getting a refill on my prenatal vitamins and the little teenager counter-girl asked me how many days overdue I was!'

And there it was, Esposito thought, the little tic-tac of a comment that made her feel so awful. He tried to open his mouth and cheer her but she was already barrelling on.

'And the look of disgust on her face when I said I was only three months pregnant, it said it all! Who'd get that ugly beast knocked up?'

'Would you take it easy on my wife, please? I think she's gorgeous and you're beating her down pretty far.'

'I'm a planet!' Meredeth wailed. 'I'm doing everything right and I'm still gaining weight!'

'Of course you are. Know why?'

'Because I want to eat everything that isn't nailed down?'

'Because you're doing what's right for our baby. You need the extra pounds to support him or her so he or she will be healthy. Look at it this way,' he said in a steady, even voice to help soothe her battered self-esteem. With a tug on her hand, he helped her sit up and dried away her tears. 'You gained six pounds in the first three months, right? So if you gain another six in the next three, and then another six in the last three, that's eighteen pounds. Remember what Nicole said would be ideal for you?'

'Fifteen to twenty.'

'Exactly. And I don't know if this has escaped your notice, but your boobs have gotten bigger too and they've never looked better.'

Meredeth turned over to see her husband looking at her with concern, her face tear-stained and her eyes hopeful. 'Really? You're not just saying that to appear your hormonal wife?'

'You know I never lie to you. The titty-fairy was very generous with you, to balance the scales, I think.' Esposito pulled off her shirt, studied her breasts like an artist. 'Oh yes, very sexy. Never seen a finer rack of lamb in my life.'

'Rack of lamb,' Meredeth sighed, smacking her lips a little. She looked at her husband, the smile on his face and felt her heart melt. 'I'm sorry for yelling at you.'

'Hey I know it's the hormones talking, baby. And remember what I told you, we're in this together. If you gain extra pregnancy pounds, we'll find a way to get rid of them together.' Esposito pulled her close, gave her a warm kiss. 'Now I know you've got to be hungry, and Ryan's probably worrying himself into hair loss downstairs. You feel like wings?'

'And apple juice. And garden salad.'

'I got all three.'

Meredeth felt her tears well up again. 'How'd I get such a sweet attentive husband?'

'Same way I got a wife with a beautiful juicy booty.'

He kissed her, gave her a hug, then helped her put her shirt back on. When they got downstairs, Ryan eyed them sympathetically. He'd been through this before and it broke his heart to see sunshiny Meredeth so distraught. 'Everything okay?'

'Yeah, just a little hormonal hissy fit,' Meredeth reassured him. 'Girl at the pharmacy asked me how many weeks overdue I was.'

'That's total shi...sh-kebabs.' Ryan caught himself before he swore again in front of Dell. The last thing he needed right now was another night of sleeping on the couch. 'Come have a seat. We promised a certain someone you'd be in the mood for Lego Indiana Jones on Wii when you got home.'

'As soon as I eat.' Meredeth went over, sat on the couch and to her utter and delighted surprise, little Dell came over. He hopped up on the cushion beside Meredeth and put his chubby little hands on her tummy, just like he'd done with Lanie. The kid had an absolute fascination with pregnant bellies and hers was apparently no exception.

'Is baby okay?' Dell asked in a concerned tone, his little brow knitting together.

'Yes, the baby's just fine, Dell.'

Ryan, who'd witness the exchange, slipped silently into the kitchen where Esposito was arranging their meal on a coffee tray. 'Dude, you gotta see this,' he whispered excitedly. 'You got your camera handy?'

'Always.'

'Come on.'

Esposito left the food in the kitchen, walked quietly into the living room where he saw Meredeth sitting beside Dell on the couch, the toddler's arm wrapped possessively around Meredeth's growing belly. 'Boy?' he asked hopefully.

'I don't know yet. Baby's still very little.'

'Why tears?'

'Someone said something very mean to me today about the baby and it hurt my feelings,' she explained in a maternal murmur.

'Oh.'Dell looked thoughtly a moment, then made Meredeth's waterworks back up again when he gave her belly a little kiss. 'No tears baby,' he said. 'You 'tay safe.'

Meredeth glanced up, saw Ryan and Esposito with the camera, couldn't help but grin. 'If our kids get married, we're going to have the best wedding slide show ever.' She wrapped her arm around Dell's narrow shoulders to give him a hug. 'Hey, Dell you up for some Lego man?'

'Dun-dun-da-dun, ba-ba-bah!'

Meredeth laughed, not knowing what it said that the toddler knew how to hum the Raiders march before he could pronounce a sentence with more than three or four words. 'Okay, we'll play in a little bit. Right now, I need to eat. Baby's hungry.'

'How baby eat?'

'I'll take that one, Mere,' Ryan scooped his son off the couch as Meredeth stood up, wandered back into the kitchen with her husband. She saw he'd put the requested wings onto a platter and had them on the coffee tray, ready to bring them to her in the living room, and having put away the camera, was pouring her a glass of juice. Love for him overwhelmed her, made her feel the best she'd felt since that twit at the drug store made her nasty comment.

'Hey.' She went up behidn him, wrapped her arms around his waist. 'I love you.'

'Love you too Mere.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	10. Getting Told

'What do you think, babe, red or black?'

'Let's see?'

Meredeth turned around from her old fashioned vanity to study her husband as he laid out his clothes for the following morning. From his spot at the foot of their bed, Esposito held up two shirts that would both go with his grey suit for her consideration; he had to be in court the next day and wasn't this going to be a doosie - it was the first day of the official trial for the choke-and-stab murder cases and he was on call to testify as one of the investigating officers..

'Javi?'

'Sorry, babe.'

'It's okay, I know tomorrow's going to be rough. Will Valencia be there?'

'No. She's already been arraigned and processed and is currently doing her time at Sing-Sing. Twenty-five for conspiracy to commit murder, no possibility of parole. I was there the day they sentenced her.'

'I remember. Not one of your better days on the job.' Recapping the tube, she turned around, saw him debating it. 'The black one. The red one's really more of an on-the-town-with-my-lady colour. And you should go with the black and silver tie.'

'Yeah.' He'd also wear his Tiffany cuff links, the ones she'd given him as a wedding gift, for good luck that the murdering bastard Doctor Greg Leeds would pay a long time for his sins. 'So where are you off to?'

'No idea. Lanie and Lili are meeting me at the subway station and we're meeting Beckett and Honey-Milk somewhere. What about you?'

'Trial prep. Ryan's coming over to review our notes, maybe anticipate a few curves from the defense. This isn't going to be an open-and-shut trial, and it's going to get heated on both sides.' Esposito eyed up the black case-file bag by his bureau like a quarry, then slid his eyes over to Meredeth. She was starting to look pregnant now, no question. At almost twelve weeks, despite her concerns she didn't look like she'd put extra weight but the shape of her naturally curved stomach was beginning to form one smooth arc, just like she'd wanted. While most women would have been concerned about giving up their high heels Meredeth almost never wore them, even when they'd gotten married, so wearing flats or wedges all the time now wasn't too big a change for her. Her hair, which she'd cut to chin-length once they'd come back from New Zealand, was glossy and shinier than he'd ever seen it.

She was, as he always saw, his beautiful Meredeth.

He cleared his throat as she stood up, and he put his hands on her hips for a hug. 'Have fun, call me when you're on your way back, okay?'

'Okay.'

'Love you.'

'Love you too.'

With a soft peck on his lips, Meredeth headed out, listening to her audio-book version of _Baby Boom_ on her iPod as she made her way to the subway station, where she saw Lanie and Lili already waiting by the ticket-spitter. Lanie was in full new-mommy bloom, her body having shed the pounds of pregnancy at a great rate since June and Lili was also back to her petite self. It made Meredeth still feel a little clunky around them but she wasn't going to dwell on that tonight, or at least try not to.

'There is she!' Lili's greeting was bright and sweet as she hugged her sister-in-law, patted her tummy. 'How's Junior doing?'

'Good. We go for the next sonogram next week. According to my readings, he or she is now starting to move around but since it's still pretty tiny I won't be able to feel it.'

'I went through that, after my morning sickness subsided.' Lanie swiped her subway speed-pass, as did the others, so they could catch their train to meet Honey-Milk and Beckett. 'Love it now, because once it starts moving, it thinks every day is a panic at the disco. I kept thinking that Dave was trying to wake me up by poking me in the stomach when it was Carey.'

They found seats, Lili jabbering questions the entire time. 'How's my brother treating you? Do I need to pound on him?'

'He's the best, Lili, really. He's so excited about the baby.'

'And he doesn't have a problem with any midnight cravings runs?'

'Haven't had those ones yet.' It was a partial truth, as Meredeth had woken up in the middle of the night once or twice ready to eat her own body weight in bread and cheese, but she'd forced herself back to sleep with steamed milk and a chapter out of _Lord of the Rings_. 'But he's really good at helping me eat healthy.'

'Lucky girl. All I wanted around the time you're at right now was stuffed mushrooms caps,' Lanie said fondly, sizing up the two popped-collars who were getting on the train in a cloud of knock-off designer cologne and praying they would go the other way. Unfortunately, the prayer signal was much like the cellphone signal and didn't get good reception in a subway tunnel, as they made their way towards the bank of cars where the three girls were seated.

Meredeth smelled them the moment they were on the train and felt her stomach betray her. She leaned forward, tried to breathe through her mouth. 'Oh god,' she mumbled, pitching forward so she could put her head between her knees. 'I think I'm gonna be sick.'

'Mere?' But Lili only took one sniff and knew exactly what it was bothering her sister-in-law. Turning to look at the new arrivals, she turned on the charm as best as she could and stood up to speak to them. 'Excuse me, gentlemen, my sister-in-law over there-' she pointed to Meredeth, who was now having her back rubbed in wide circles by Lanie '-she's pregnant and the smell of your cologne is bothering her so would it be possible to move to the next car down?'

The one looked ready to comply but the other sneered derisively. 'She's not knocked-up, she's just fat. Probably had one too many pudding-cups with her whole chicken for dinner.'

'Dude,' his friend muttered, embarrassed as he stood up. 'No problem, hope she feels better.'

Lili remained staring at the man, who was probably double her height. 'Well? You going to join your friend?'

'It's a free country, bitch. I can sit where I please.'

'Lili, it's fine,' Meredeth said weakly, already mortified by the exchange; she could feel the others in the car looking at them. 'We're getting off at the next stop anyways.'

'No, it's not fine, and my brother, your husband, would say the same.' Lili folded her arms across her chest, pulled herself up to the not-very-threatening height of five-foot-four, achieved by her three-inch boots. 'I hope you know that being mean to a pregnant lady means in your next life you're coming back as a toilet brush.'

The cars lurched to a halt and Meredeth booked it out of the doors, Lanie and Lili behind her. They followed her up the stairs of the Fifty-Fourth Street terminal and weren't surprised the moment Meredeth got a whiff of fresh air she was vomiting into the garbage bin by the bus-stop bench.

'Bet that feels better, huh?' Lanie commented, patting Meredeth's back.

'Much. Do you have a napkin or something?'

'Mere? You alright?'

Meredeth, dabbed her mouth with the tissue Lanie had passed her and saw Honey-Milk and Beckett a few feet away, both looking concerned. 'Yeah, just these two jerks on the subway were wearing cologne that really bothered me.'

'Bastard even tried to say Mere wasn't pregnant, just fat,' Lili added for good measure. 'He's lucky I didn't have my big purse with me or I'd have clocked him good.'

'You still hungry?' Beckett asked hesitantly. 'We can always cancel our plans.'

'No, I'm starving, it was just those guys.'

'In more ways than one,' Lanie added, detailing their creepiness as they walked east on Fifty-Fourth towards their destination. 'I personally blame those _Jersey Shore_ idiots. Who actually thinks it's cool to act like that?'

'Not me, that's for damn sure.' Honey-Milk shook her head. 'I'll take my fine Irish dolphin any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Here we are.' They stopped at a small bistro named Pookaloo's. 'Ryan said this is where Castle and him took Javier when they found out he was going to propose to you. Thought it'd be fitting for us girls to take you out for celebrating your baby.'

'They make a killer salt-and-pepper garlic bread, and their hummus is house-made,' Beckett added. 'And their soup is divine.'

'Soup,' Meredeth sighed, walking through the door that Lili held open. 'I like soup.'

'Javi mentioned your go-to snack is popcorn.'

'These days, I like everything. Except eggs. They're making me really gassy.' Meredeth smiled, relieved when they sat down. She was still getting easily fatigued, particularly after seven pm these days, but it was easier to deal with than the constant battle of nausea. She looked at the menu, felt her mouth water at all the delicious options - coconut shrimp skewers and spinach-crab dips, almond encrusted chicken yakitori with coleslaw, French onion soup. And remembered that most of that high-fat, high cholesterol food was off limits, so she immediately turned to the salads and wondered how that would fit in to her dietary calendar.

Across the table, Honey-Milk saw Meredeth's face darken a little and she snapped her menu shut. 'Ryan told me what happened last week when he was over for X-Box night,' she explained gently, 'why are you so freaked out over gaining weight? It's part of the baby process, you know that.'

'I..always feel like the fat girl in our circle of friends,' Meredeth said at length, staring at her options of healthy, greener choices. 'And it bothers me. Not often, but when it does, it's an awful feeling. I've already put on six pounds-'

'Hold on.' Honey-Milk held up a hand. 'Six pounds? You've gotten yourself all worked up over six pounds and you're what, eleven weeks?'

'Twelve next Tuesday.'

'Then shut your word-hole.'

The women all looked at Honey-Milk with a little shock; she never spoke like this. 'Jenny?' Lanie asked tentatively.

'When I was pregnant with Dell, I bulked up by thirty-three pounds, Mere. I literally could not see my feet, I had to get Ryan to tie my shoes and shave my legs for me. You don't get to bitch anymore about your weight. Javi loves how you look, and you do look beautiful, so enough is enough. The next time you squawk about extra poundage, I'm going to pull out your eyelashes one by one and then Krazy-Gloo your ears to your ass. Clear?'

'Aye-aye, Captain,' Meredeth said with a breathless giggle. 'Wow, no wonder Ryan never wins a fight with you.'

'She does have a point, though, Mere.' Lanie sipped her water and finalized her decision for her meal. 'Don't take this the wrong way, but you're kind of ahead of the curve being bigger than me and Lili and Honey-Milk were. You've already got the body weight which means you don't have to drastically alter your calorie intake the way we did. I mean, we _really_ had to bulk up since we didn't have the natural body chemistry the way you do. You just have to make sure _what_ you're eating is properly balanced.'

'And don't forget, when you have the baby, breast-feeding does amazing things for your metabolism. I actually took off a few extra pounds when I was nursing Rosie,' Lili added, then turned to Beckett. 'Are you bored yet of the mommy talk?'

'Not at all. I like hearing it. I love babies and little kids, I just know I'm not ready for them yet myself. Kinda like when you get your learner's permit, you know? You know you want your driver's license, but you're just not ready for the real thing quite yet. But that aside, we know you've been feeling insecure about the changes in your body so we got you this.'

She passed Meredeth an envelope. 'It's a gift certificate for Bloomingdale's, an appointment with a personal shopper to be more specific. I had to go to one for getting a dress for some big fancy charity thing with Rick, and I mentioned it to the woman you were feeling freaked about your pregnancy look, so she hooked me up. Wednesday, one o'clock, wear things that are easy to change out of.'

'That's so sweet of you guys.'

'You're absolutely beautiful, Mere, and it's high time you understood that being a skinny stick doesn't equal instant good looks. Now let's order.'

* * *

When Meredeth got in at nearly ten o'clock, she wasn't surprised to go into the bedroom and see Esposito already in bed, earbuds in as he dozed face down on the bed. She undressed, careful to keep the movements of her bureau drawers to a minimum so as not to wake him. When she'd changed into her night-gown she'd gotten on their short weekend away, she crawled in beside him and gave him a soft hug.

'Hey,' she murmured against his shoulder. 'We're here, safe and sound.'

Meredeth wasn't at all surprised when her husband rolled over, pulling out his ear-buds and smiling sleepily at her. 'Hey babe. Didn't hear you come in. I was listening to _Treasure Island_.'

'It's a classic, and there's something about stories about boats that can be very calming. Kinda like fish.'

'How was your girls' night?'

'Fun. Delicious.' She paused. 'I don't think you need to worry about me worrying over my body changing any more.'

'Oh?'

Meredeth nodded, related the story of the assholes on the subway - as expected, it made him clench his fist in frustration in the bedsheets - and of Honey-Milk's little rant about. 'She pointed out, much like you did, that my body is going to add the extra weight for the baby and that stressing over it makes the whole joy of pregnancy disappear. So I'm going to stop obsessing over it and just follow my healthy diet and let my body add the pounds it needs to.'

'See? Maybe you just needed to hear it from another woman who's gone through it.' Esposito kissed her cheek. 'I do what I can, Mere, but the bottom line is, I'm a dude and dudes only give birth in bad Arnold movies. Talking to other moms is going to be what you need sometimes.'

'I know. But you know that doesn't mean I-'

'Of course not. Besides, I don't think all those other mothers do this.' He pressed his lips to hers, darted his tongue into her mouth as he pulled her close and found her bottom underneath her nightshirt.

'They definitely don't.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	11. Late Night Antics: 14 Weeks

True to her word to her husband, and to Honey-Milk, Meredeth found in the weeks subsequent her body leveled out, both figuratively and literally. Not only did her weight gain remain slow but steady, _finally_ she could look in the mirror and say to herself, there's a little tiny being in there, as that single fluid curve of her belly began to appear. She'd learned from reading and talking to her friends who were already mothers that this was when the bump would truly bump up and at fourteen weeks, she was right on schedule.

'There's no hiding it now,' she commented, turning from side to side in the mirror. She'd stripped down to just her panties and was running her hands over her belly, noting that there were fewer stretch marks than she thought she'd have at this point. 'I really do look like a mama-to-be now.'

'You look fantastic.'

'I don't think I've ever felt this good in my life.'

Esposito smiled at her, finishing helping her pack for trip to Los Angeles. It unnerved him a little she'd be flying, as he knew after a certain point pregnant women weren't supposed to fly, he just didn't know what point that was; he hadn't read that far in the book. 'Okay, you're all set, you've got your comfies and your styling new threads from Bloomingdale's for the shows. What's the order again?'

'George Lopez on Tuesday, Jimmy Fallon and Craig Ferguson on Wednesday, then Conan on Thursday, and I'll fly home Thursday night.'

'You're sure you don't want to wait until Friday morning to fly?'

Meredeth shook her head. 'We've got a checkup with Harvey on Friday morning. But in the mean time...' she trailed off as she walked over to him, ran her hands over his chest, then leaned in to give him a sizzling kiss and was thrilled when she heard his low moan.

'Mm, I could handle that,' he murmured in a teasing tone.

'You think so?' Delight in her eyes, Meredeth gently shoved him so he land on his back on the bed, then crawled on top of him to attach her mouth to his once more.

Esposito felt his body wake up; after a long day where he'd been a tad grumpy to have to go home and help his wife pack to go out of town for three days, he couldn't resist her. Her mouth was sweet, lips soft and juicy as her tongue danced over his, and his arms came around her so she was wrapped up in him. Her breasts, always one of his favourite features, had grown rounder thanks to the hormones, and unfortunately for both had been off-limits because they'd been swollen and tender, but they were better now. He rolled so she was underneath him, squeezed gently with his fingertips but stopped when he heard her let out a little gasp of pain.

'Shit, I'm sorry Mere. I didn't think they'd still be so sore.'

'No, no, it's okay, Javi.' She brushed her hand over his cheek to reassure him, then put her fingers over his to show him the right amount of pressure. 'Like that.'

'Okay. Want me to kiss it better?'

'God, yes.'

Meredeth closed eyes, breathed deeply as he dipped his head to kiss the little spots on her breast where he'd squeezed too hard, and felt the warmth for him between her thighs. She ground her hips against his, felt him hardened under his boxers; they'd been together nearly three years and he still felt that way about her. Even with her hormonal bitchiness and fears about her body, he loved her and that made her feel pretty damn awesome.

She let her body go with it, let the simple touches of his hands overwhelm her, giving her goosebumps as her nipples hardened, a little painfully - they too were off limits still as they were sore from the hormone changes. Instead, she pressed her hands to his back, fisting them in his t-shirt and she bit her lip in anticipation when she saw him sit up and tug it off to reveal that gorgeous golden-cinnamon skin of his.

Esposito saw the look in her eyes, felt his libido purr like a panther as she moved up the bed so her head was cushioned on the pillows. What man wouldn't be turned on by the sight of her, he thought, a beautiful woman glowing as she grew their baby inside her and wanting nothing more than the feel of her lover on her body and inside her? Knowing how easily turned on she was these days from the extra dash of hormones, he also slipped out of his boxers and drew her panties over her hips before he went back to her, his body curving in a match against hers. She was already so damp for him, he wanted to slide inside her right then, but he wanted more than that tonight, for himself and for her.

'Mere,' he asked softly, brushing a lock of her hair away from her brow, 'you want try something different?'

'Different?'

'I was reading about it in one of the books, in one of the chapters on keeping things hot during pregnancy and it mentioned a different position that would be easier on your back.'

She nodded, touched he was keeping up with his readings. 'Okay.'

Wrapping his arms around her, Esposito rolled so she was sprawled on his chest and he stroked his hands down her back to her ass, cupping it and gently massaging the soft flesh there. 'Scooch up,' he told her.

'Up?' It took her a minute to put it together, but when she felt his hands nudge her up his body, she realized what he meant. 'Oh, up.'

She rose to her knees, repositioning herself as she braced her hands on the headboard and gasped when she felt his mouth on her. She shuddered involuntarily; they'd never tried oral sex like this, at least not with him pleasuring her, and as she felt him taste and tease her she vaguely wondered why they hadn't. And he was right, it did feel so much better for her back in a semi-kneeling position than trying to arch her back. Here she just had to lean forward, rock her hips a little. 'Baby,' she murmured, 'that feels great.'

Esposito's only response was a groaned 'uh-huh', as he stroked his hands up and down her thighs, exploring this new way with her tenderly and erotically. He wanted to double her pleasure and stroke her simultaneously, but just as he had the thought her hips shifted, making his tongue brush over her trigger and he felt her tense and shudder as the orgasm exploded through her. He heard her moan his name, and was ready for her as she did. When her trembling subsided and he knew she was drifting in the post-climax glow, he gripped her hips to ease her back to so he could fill her; she still made that sexy little 'oh' of surprise when he did.

Meredeth ran her hands over his smooth chest as she felt him underneath him, his body urging her on. It didn't take much in her heightened state to build the second orgasm inside her, but as it did, she kept her eyes on him, watching his eyes. She felt the crest of it inside her and as it began to spread through her, she leaned down to whisper in his ear, 'Come with me, my love.'

'Yes.'

It was the only word he could get out as Esposito felt her clench around him. He watched her, and pressing one hand to the small of her back, put the other on her growing tummy and let his body go over the edge.

Spent, sated and generally satisfied with his current predicament, Esposito discreetly wiped the back of his hand over his mouth before he kissed his wife when she flopped over on top of him, her breasts rising and falling as she breathed heavily.

'I love you,' she told him, 'I always love you but right now, I _really_ love you.'

'I really love you too.' Esposito traced his index finger over her shoulder. 'Wish you weren't leaving for three days, if that's the kind of second trimester sex I'm going to be getting.'

'Yes, but also think of this. You get to see me cooking on Craig Ferguson's show and see his face when I drop the bomb on national TV that there's a Baby Hawk on the way.'

'There is that,' he agreed. 'What has he got you making?'

'Asian lettuce wraps and mushroom wontons.'

'Oh damn, I wish I could come with and be your helper monkey.'

Meredeth turned her head so her chin rested on his chest. 'You've got court, and you've already said you're taking three weeks of parental leave at Christmas so we can do some serious baby house-prep.'

'Doesn't mean I can't wish I was in sunny L.A. instead of miserable NYC.' Esposito held her close, turned on his side; he could see her eyelids starting to sink shut. As much energy as she had for lovin' him up, she was far more fatigued afterward than usual and rare was the time unless they made love in the morning that they'd fit in an encore round. 'I'm going to do it, by the way.'

'What, come with me to L.A.?'

'No, this.' He patted his head. 'This is all going again.'

'You're going to shave it off again? Really?'

'I know you like it.'

'I do,' Meredeth replied on a huge yawn as her eyelids sank shut. 'Very sexy.'

Within seconds she was sound asleep, and Esposito pressed a kiss to her forehead. 'Night, mama,' he murmured.

* * *

'Come on, come on, it's almost time!'

Esposito stuffed the apple slice into his mouth as he brought the plate of fruit into the living room. He and Ryan had been working on more of their court preparation for the choke-and-stab murder cases - there had been a delay for whatever reason the defense lawyers could dream up, so they wouldn't be actually appearing on the stand until Thursday afternoon - and so they'd called it a night when it was time for _The Late Late Show_ at twelve-thirty. Honey-Milk, Beckett and Castle were there too, with Dell asleep upstairs, all eager to see Meredeth's appearance on the show. They all knew that it was the one talk-show Meredeth was actually excited to go on, as she had a great friendship with the Scottish funnyman via Twitter and email, and treated it like a catch-up coffee on national TV; the other appearances were strictly business.

'Did you talk to her at all before film today?' Honey-Milk asked, dipping a slice of melon into the citrus yogourt. 'Is she actually going to drop it on his head during the interview or did she tell him before?'

'She's really going to do it in the interview.'

Castle sipped his beer, his shiny new wedding ring clinking lightly against the bottle. 'I remember when Evil Meredith told me she was having Alexis. We were in the middle of a sushi bar and I was trying to order for her and she just shrieked at me, 'I can't have sushi because I'm pregnant, you idiot.' He paused, gave his bride a poke in the ribs. 'Please don't do that to me.'

'Never.' Because they were amongst friends, she gave him a little peck on the cheek, though it didn't stop Ryan from grinning.

'Aw, Beckett's a little love-bug,' he teased and got a throw pillow to the head for his troubles. He tucked the squishy square underneath his arms as he sat on the floor with his back to the couch and for a moment, Esposito could envision him doing the same thing with Dell as they watched Saturday morning cartoons together. 'Hey, look, look, he's starting.'

They all watched the screen, munching fresh fruit and drinking cold beers as Craig appeared tightly in the frame of the camera, already wearing an apron and goofy-looking chef's toque.

_I am just crazy about my next guest and __I'd make a play for her __if I didn't think her husband could bench-press me before morning coffee without breaking a sweat. She's here to cook with us tonight from her new book, her first cookbook because this is what we do instead of craft services on this show. Either way, she's a dear lady and a wonderful chef. Meredeth Esposito._

Esposito couldn't prevent the grin; it was her first talk show rounds stateside since she'd married him and hearing her introduced with his surname brought a fresh rush of joy. He watched, fascinated as the camera zoomed out and Meredeth was already there, in her apron and loose blouse, wedding rings winking under the studio lights.

_Hello my dear, good to see you as always_

_You know I can't be in L.A. and not stop by_

_I especially like it when you stop by with food, now tell me about this book, it's called Tofu for T-Rex, and dedicated to six different people, what's that about? Couldn't make up your mind?_

_Sort of, I mean, it's three couples, my husband's partner and his wife, my brother and sister in law, and my agent and her boyfriend, and they are all couples where one is a meat-eater and the other is a vegetarian or as I always like to say, a veggie-saurus, and I thought that's got to present some unique challenges, especially considering that they're all parents now and how do you raise a family that's blended in his gastronomic regimes?_

'Only Meredeth can make that phrase sound cool,' Castle said, snagging a few orange slices. 'How do you blend your 'gastronomic regimes', Jenn?'

'A lot of patience,' she said, flapping her hand at the writer. 'Ssh, I wanna listen.'

_So tell me what we are going to make here right now_

_We are going to do my teriyaki lettuce wraps, and the only thing we're going to do differently in the entire recipe is substitute the steak for some gorgeous mushrooms. We've already cleaned out vegetables and we're going to start with the steak in one pan and you can do the mushrooms in the other pan here._

_I must warn you this might be like the monkeys writing War and Peace on typewriters conundrum. _

_Oh Craig, if I can teach my baby-daddy to make an omelet that doesn't belong in the dog's dish_

The crowd in the Chelsea townhouse watched with fascination as the comedian stopped what he was doing for a moment, turned to look at her as the audience laughed tentatively.

_I'm sorry, your who now?_

'Hahaha, she totally got him!' Ryan clapped his hands, delighted to see he wasn't the only one who could be flustered so effectively. 'Oh, that's going to be a YouTube hit for sure!'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	12. New Looks

It was almost midnight and Esposito had had a very long and trying day, but he had a great big shiny carrot keeping him up tonight - Meredeth was back from L.A. and he always picked her up whenever she was flying home. This time, he'd brought Castle along for the ride, and the writer had been full of quips about his new look. By the time they were parked and exiting the car, Castle was at his fifteenth jibe; Esposito had been keeping count.

'Whoa!'

'What?'

'The glare off your head from those fluorescent lights, bro. I think I've been blinded.'

Esposito grinned, smoothed his hand over his scalp; he'd gotten it shaved off once again that morning, in time for Meredeth's homecoming that night. He peep-peeped the Nissan's locks shut with the remote as they made their way to the arrivals terminal of JFK airport. 'Thanks again, Rick, for coming with.'

'Well, considering that of our poker circle I'm the one without a young child to attend to, it usually means my schedule's the most flexible.' Castle jammed his hands in his pockets as they scanned the board of flight numbers. 'You got your costume picked out for Saturday night?'

'Oh yeah. It's a good one too.'

'You're not sharing?'

'Nope. She's on Delta Airlines Flight six-two-seven,' he added, going through the board numbers and finding her gate. 'Gate four, c'mon.'

'How's she feeling with her pregnancy?'

'Fantastic. She's looking forward to Hallowe'en, she's got a great costume. She says it makes her feel good, and it looks great on her too.'

'Javier, you'd say she looks hot in a wet paper bag.' Castle slapped his friend's shoulder, then pursed his lips when they stopped by the food court and he purchased some red tea for Meredeth and a coffee for himself. He was . 'But I'm not one to talk since I'd say the same thing about my wife.'

Esposito grinned, still impressed how he'd gone from being Beckett's great annoyance to her shadow-partner to her boyfriend and now her husband. 'Hey, next poker night, we should bust out that set of chips you got in Monte Carlo on your honeymoon.'

'Only if Kate's there. She'd shoot me if I used them first without her.'

'Fair enough.' Esposito sneered when he went past a poster advertising _Las Picaduras: El Hombre Misterisio_. 'Man, when is this whole vamp craze going to end? It's seriously annoying.'

'I know, they've got no style, they're just a bunch of emo-geeks with nasty big pointy teeth.' Castle did his feed-the-birds bro-dap with Esposito as they found a spot with the rest of the crowd waiting for their people to come home. He looked around and wished airport security wasn't so tight-assed anymore because this was a spectacular place to people watch. He'd been on a layover from New York to Honolulu and he'd watched a young couple embrace which gave him the idea to give Storm a love interest in the first place and her introductory story was the best-selling single book of the Storm series up to that point.

He was brought back to Earth when Esposito nudged his ribs with his elbow. 'There she is. Hold these,' he said, passing the coffee tray to Castle as Meredeth came through the sliding doors, tugging her suitcase behind her. He grinned when he saw the bump of her belly under her sweater. 'Hey, baby!'

'Javi!' Meredeth raced down the ramp, left her suitcase standing as she threw her arms around him. 'Oh we missed you!'

'Same here! Look at you!' He kissed her, put his hand on her stomach which had really puffed up in the few days since he'd seen her. 'My jelly-bean's sproutin' up!'

'Look at this hotness right here,' she exclaimed feathering her fingers over his shorn skull and felt her libido sing brightly. 'I'm all a-tingle.'

'Here, we brought you this.'

Meredeth's heart melted when she saw the take-away cup of tea Castle passed her. 'Such a sweetheart. I don't suppose this comes with a really honkin' large sandwich and some grape juice, does it? Maybe some pretzels with tzatziki?'

'All waiting for you at home.'

'How was your flight?' Castle asked, snagging her suitcase as they began to walk out.

'Bumpy, so-'

'Are you feeling okay?' Esposito felt a quick clench in his gut. He remembered the fall Lanie had taken when she'd been about twenty-one weeks pregnant with Carey and how scared they'd been that she might have lost him.

'Of course, Javi, why...oh, bumpy.' Meredeth mentally kicked herself at her word choice; she too remembered the close call Lanie had back in January and squeezed his hand tightly, rubbed her thumb over his wedding ring. 'No, Javi, not like that, not in the slightest.'

'You're sure?'

'Yeah.' But she kiss his cheek reassuringly, letting him know she was a-okay. 'Did you guys watch the show?'

Both the men knew which one she meant and Castle nodded. 'Hard to make a guy like Craig Ferguson go speechless but you did it,' he said loudly, raising his voice over the hiss of the sliding doors that led to the parking tower. 'Was he really cranky you didn't say anything to him before?'

'No, he knew I had news but he wasn't expecting that,' Meredeth laughed, then stopped dead in her tracks two feet from the Nissan. 'Oh. That's weird.'

'What?' Esposito looked her up and down, wondering what had happened, if she was feeling some sort of delayed aftershock of the turbulence during her flight from the coast. 'What it is?'

'It's like butterflies or something, like way down south.' Meredeth pressed a hand to the underside of her belly, pressed her finger tips in different spots as the feeling continued. 'It's like...oh. Oh, Javi.' Her eyes filled as she remembered the passage from her baby books. 'It's moving.'

Esposito's eyes went round. 'It is?' Immediately he pressed his palm to her belly just below her navel, moved it back and forth. 'I don't feel anything. Are you sure it isn't just gas?'

'The book says that it's actually been moving since about seven or eight weeks, but I'm only feeling it now because it was too small before. And it's not like a kick, it's like a fluttering, like a goldfish swimming around. It won't feel like a kick or a nudge for another four weeks or so. But I can feel it. It's really in there.' Meredeth pressed her knuckles to her cheeks so she wouldn't spill over, then found herself caught in a fiercely passionate kiss from her husband.

'I love you, Mere,' he murmured against her mouth.

'I love you too, Javi,' she replied, then giggled when she heard Castle's discreet cough. 'Even when we have an audience.'

Esposito looked over, blushed a little when he saw Castle's eyes glowing happily. 'Come on, man, you've been through the daddy thing before, you know this is a big deal.'

'Oh, not denying you that, just thought you'd like to get home for a little privacy. I don't wanna join the ranks of Kevin Ryan and have his nightmares.'

* * *

Because Meredeth was still trying to adjust to East Coast time, she was awake for another hour and ready for food; she watched fascinated from her spot at the kitchen table as he put together their late night snack - he made them turkey paninis with buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and arugula, her grape juice and the requested pretzel nuggets with tzatziki.

'I remember how you made these last week and remembered you'd left turkey in the freezer, so ta-da.'

'I could eat my own foot if you dipped it in honey-mustard right now. The plane food was just blecch.' She saw him load up the coffee tray, making her a little confused. 'Where are we going?'

'Couch is more comfy and better for your back. You feel like watching an episode of _Heroes_ while we chow?'

Meredeth could only stare at him, unable to hold back the giggle. 'Oh, baby, you must have really been missing me if you're willing to watch _Heroes_.' It was one of her favourite shows, and he couldn't stand it in the slightest, much in the way she couldn't wrap her head around the appeal of _UFC Fight Night_. But that was married life - compromising with your partner sometimes meant swallowing a hefty dose of personal preference. 'I'll play nice and make it something from season one.'

'With the Sailor dude.'

'Sylar, Javi, his name is Sylar.'

'Whatever, he's a good bad guy.'

Meredeth settled onto the couch as he popped in the disc, took his seat beside her. It felt so good to be home, with her husband beside her. She could smell him, the soap he used on his skin, the slight sweet-onion scent of his sweat. Taking his hand, she draped his arm over her shoulder, snuggling close to pillow her head on his shoulder.

'I missed you too.'

Esposito kissed her forehead, lips curving. 'Okay, _Parasite_ or _Point-Zero-Seven Percent?_ Ladies' choice.'

'The second one. Not as much grossness while I'm trying to eat.'

They watched the doomed Nathan make his Faustian deal with Linderman while the others tried to escape the holding cells of PrimaTech, and because she was his Meredeth and never gave up hope, she explained who everyone was to Esposito and what their power was; she did it every time they watched it together because by the time they watched an episode a few months had passed and all the details had flown right out of his head.

When they'd finished watching and eating, Esposito stretched his arms upward. 'Don't know how you love it, but I suppose there must be something redeeming in it somewhere if...' he trailed off when he heard a light whistling sound. Looking down, he saw Meredeth was dead asleep, one hand resting on his thigh and the other draped possessively over her belly. She looked so calm, so maternal already, her body language telling anyone who saw her they'd have to get through her to get at their baby.

With a smooth fluid motion, he rubbed her tummy; Esposito couldn't wait to feel the baby nudge and bump against her. That little bit of magic he'd help create waking up and moving around would only add to the experience of being a first-time father-to-be

'Hey in there,' he murmured, stroking his fingers over his beautiful Meredeth, 'I can't wait to see you tomorrow.'

* * *

'Harvey?'

'Yes, Meredeth.'

'Is there any way to make that stuff not feel like a camel just spat on me?'

Harvey laughed as he squeezed the cold blue gel onto Meredeth's waiting stomach. 'The day you figured that out you'll have a million mothers to be following you on Twitter thanking you for you genius idea. Okay family, here we go.'

From his seat on the other side of Meredeth's exam table, Esposito gripped her hand tightly in excitement. Meredeth's part of her check-up had gone like clockwork - her heart and lungs were in great shape, and her blood pressure was well within the normal range. She also was keeping her weight gain to a minimum - she'd only added two more pounds since her last check-in with Nicole - which Esposito knew was helping with Meredeth's mental state and their prediction she would only add six pounds per trimester was on target, it seemed. She had very little swelling in her hands and feet, and the added fluid in her legs was easily dealt with by massage while they flaked out after he'd gotten home from work. They'd also kept up their intimacy, even to the point where Esposito was a little tired for work the next morning once or twice as he wanted to make sure his baby mama was healthy and happy and satisfied, and if that meant even a quick pet after they'd made love twice that night, he wouldn't deny her. The looks he'd gotten from his co-workers, particularly those from Ryan, were totally worth it.

Now came the really fun part of the check-up. They watched and listened as first they heard the baby's heartbeat, good and strong and quick as is needed to be. Then Harvey moved the wand again over Meredeth and the image on screen changed again. 'Oh shit, Mere,' Esposito laughed, love for his wife strong and overwhelming. 'There's a tiny real human in there.'

'That's the little one making me feel all those flutterings.'

'Busy little bee in there,' Esposito said, watching the way the baby moved around like it was a synchronized swimmer. 'You were right, it's not just gas.'

Harvey laughed in a low voice; if there ever was a more sweetly comical pair of parents to be than these two, Harvey had yet to meet them. He paused so that the image on screen showed them the full size of their baby. 'There's the head, and it's on its back right now, there's the nose and its got a hand up by its face too. Yes, your baby's going to be a good and healthy size, probably in between seven and a half and eight and a half pounds. Are you hoping for a natural birth or-'

'No,' Meredeth cut Harvey off swiftly and efficiently. 'My pain tolerance isn't the greatest and I'm not about to be the wussy lady in the delivery room. Fly me to the moon.'

'Okay then.' Harvey made a note on Meredeth's chart for their next appointment to begin discussing the birth plan and a plan B. 'I'm also going to get you signed up for the mother aquarobics class, as you mentioned you really like swimming Meredeth, and it's a very low-impact form of exercise, and enroll you in the birthing classes starting in February.'

'That's like four months from now, though,' Esposito started to point out, but was cut off with the buzzing of his communicator. 'Crap,' he muttered, then picked up the call. 'Esposito. Yeah, we're almost done here. Okay, I'm closer to there than the precinct, I'll meet you.'

Meredeth craned her neck. 'Problem?'

'Warrant came through on a safety deposit box for a case we'd thought had gone cold. Took nearly a week of jumping over lawyers and finding a judge willing to sign it. We're almost done right?' Esposito looked to Harvey for verification. His job was important, but Meredeth was his priority.

'Yes, just need to get Meredeth cleaned up and print your copy of today's sonogram, so-'

'Wait, what's that?'

A little trickle of panic licked its way into Meredeth's voice as she saw the hitching on-screen of the baby's chest, like it had something wrong with its breathing. Harvey saw it too, and let out another chuckle.

'It appears your little miracle has the hiccups this morning.'

R&R&Enjoy.


	13. Cranked and Skeeved Out

'Christ on an everlasting cracker!'

'You know when you swear you sound more and more like Meredeth?'

'Shut up.'

'Case and point.'

Esposito rolled his eyes as he picked up his Batman figurine - a gift from Meredeth for his first day back at work after he'd been shot - as he poured over the file. It was a reminder, she'd said, for him that he was her superhero. Today it was a stress toy, in the same way Ryan had his multicoloured egg, and holy shit did he need it. After leaving the clinic with Meredeth to meet his partner at the bank to put the warrant for the safety deposit box in effect, they found out it was nothing more than a dummy box. The real box they wanted was at a different branch, which would require jumping through more hoops than before, thanks to their toss of the coin to determine which box they were going to go after first.

Now, he tapped the toy feet-first on his desk, looking at the old case file spread in front of him and man was it a head-ache. Nothing worse than a cold file, but when the cold file was a cop, and a hero cop like Timo Ross had been, it was downright infuriating.

'This reminds me of the Coonan case,' he bitched. 'Beckett deserved way better and so does Timo.'

'You knew him?' Ryan asked.

'He was my CO when I went into Narc; he was already a superstar by the time I got there. Headed the task force for three major cartel take-downs and got scooped up by Narc with his own unit by the time he was twenty-eight. He'd just closed his first major case as an independent unit when he was murdered.'

'Julio Robinson, I remember that. He'd co-ordinated with DEA and the State troopers to bring him down. Sent him up river for what, twenty-to-life.'

'Yep, and thanks to Timo's tight-ass by the book approach, Julio ain't goin' nowhere. They called Timo the Weed-Whacker.' Esposito remembered the headlines when they'd found Timo Ross' body broken and bludgeoned to death in the alley behind a Milk-and-Honey creamery. The _Ledger _had ran a full-page obituary on him and then screamed for the NYPD's blood, especially the 72nd Precinct's since that was where Timo had been based out of, when the trail ran cold. 'And now, because we had to chose A or B, we may have tipped his murderer off again.'

'Well the question is, why after eight years would we suddenly stumbled across this information? You think whoever whacked the Weed-Whacker is tied to Cerise and Miss Poppy, and whatever the Ferrics are tangled up in?'

'I don't know.' Now Esposito's tone was weary, as it always was when information on Timo's case popped up and then fizzled. 'I really don't like looking at that case more than I have to.'

'Why does it bother you so much?'

'Timo's death not only meant the loss of a stellar cop but also dissolution of his elite unit and three of the detectives moved into the Twelfth's Narc bureau, one of whom got his ass kicked by both myself and Gil Mazzara.'

'Ah.' Ryan knew exactly who he was talking about, knew that it was often Narc who blamed Homicide for not working in tandem with them to close cases where both murder and drugs were involved. Tucker Lloyd in particular was often the first on that soap box and while most tuned him out, there was a lot who at the very least considered what he talked about making sense. 'You thinking you might look a little closer on it on your downtime this weekend? Maybe get Meredeth to work that brain of hers for some fresh eyes?'

'Maybe.'

'Guys, time to call it a night.' Beckett strolled past them, on her way to pick up her coat. 'Go get a beer or something, take the edge off.'

'I just want to go home to Meredeth...which I can't do just yet because you,' Esposito pointed at his boss, 'and the girls are having some kind of girls-only baby thing for her at the house, aren't you?'

'Poker and snacks and presents. Far tamer than her bachelorette party. See you in the morning.'

The moment Beckett was on the elevator, Esposito sighed and thumped his forehead on the edge of his desk, then sat up right. 'Ow. That's it, I'm done for the day. My brain's gonna pop out my eyes or my ears.'

'Come on.' Recognizing the signs and knowing his partner would work into exhaustion, Ryan slapped his shoulder, stood up as he powered down his computer. 'The Hawks-Ducks is on in a few and you look like you could use a stiff drink.'

'Ryan-'

'I'll buy.'

Esposito sighed, resigned. 'Okay, fine.'

* * *

They went to the Sportsline, their favourite place to catch a brew and a game, and though he rarely liked to admit it when he was in a funk, Ryan had been right. The moment the first zip of Budweiser hit his tongue, Esposito felt the hardest edge of the day melt away. But it wasn't a substitute for going home to his Meredeth and possibly - probably - getting lucky. Still, enjoying the night out with his bro was a fun way to unwind so he wouldn't go home and waste precious time with his wife being tired and cranky when it could be spent with much more fun and naked activities.

They'd ordered a five-bottle bucket which Ryan paid for upfront and when Esposito had cracked open his second one midway through the third period, Ryan had gone to hit the head leaving his partner to stew over the Timo Ross connection that had popped. There was something about that one he just couldn't let go of. Some detail they'd missed, some glaring piece of evidence that was hiding in plain sight. He was sure of it, and the fact they couldn't see the forest for the trees was making his very melancholy.

'What's got you so down?'

Esposito looked up, saw the bartender whose name-plate necklace read 'Tammy' looking at him. She was a pretty lady, late-twenties and most likely of Dominican extraction from the coffee tone of her skin which made the gold throat-chain she was stand out all the more. But she wasn't his Meredeth, he thought, as he shook his head. 'Rough day on the job.'

'Aw, poor guy. I know what that feels like. Guys in here are usually a bunch of hounds, making disgusting comments like you got some nice juicy olives, baby, or my personal favourite, I'd like to twist you over that martini bar. It's disgusting.'

'I'm a homicide cop.'

'Oh, you win.' She shook the martini shaker briskly as she sent him a comforting smile. 'Cops always have it the worst. Cops and teachers.'

'Teachers, huh?'

'Yeah. Most parents just drop their kids at the front of the school and don't worry about them for the next six to eight hours, not taking into account that it's a person with no less than two university degrees doing _their_ job. I like it when the teachers come in, they tip like shit, but they never settle for less than three drinks.'

Esposito laughed. 'Yeah, I suppose they have to handle all the bad habits their parents gave them, huh?'

Tammy smiled back, flitted off to the beer cooler at the other end of the long oak bar and Esposito could tell even when she was that far away she had her eye on him and it made him squirm a little on his chair. He was flattered when women noticed him from across the room, it was another when they were so close to his personal space and Tammy was a friendly sort but he wasn't looking for anything but cold beer for a good price from her. He briefly wondered how long it would take Tammy to put the moves on him, and sure enough when she came back to her martini station, she leaned forward, her boobs resting on her folded arms in a vain effort to give him a little sneak peek if he wanted it.

'So listen, I've got a break in a half-an-hour, you want to hang around and tell me about your bad day?'

'No.' Esposito felt guilty but only because he knew what it was like to hit on someone and be turned down cold. 'Sorry. I just came here with my partner for the game and I'm heading home to my lovely pregnant wife,' he told her, holding up his hand to show off his wedding ring, which he realized had been out of her eyesight for most of their interactions.

'Oh, you're having a baby?' Her demeanour changed instantly from flirtatious to genuine happiness as she built another set of martinis. 'Congratulations! When is your wife due?'

'April.'

'Do you know if it's a boy or girl?'

'No, we don't. We want to be surprised.'

'How's she feeling so far? I know my cousin was uber-nauseous until she hit like four or five months.'

'She's doing great and looks even better.' Esposito felt his chest loosen a little as he bragged about Meredeth. 'You know the _Lady Hawk_ series?'

'Oh yeah, I saw the TV show and then picked up the books. The author is so amazing, she...oh, my god! That's your wife? Wow, she's a lucky lady.' Tammy handed the martinis off to a waiting server, began to mix a couple of tequila sunrises as the order chit came up. 'I see tonnes of men through here who bitch about how big their baby mamas are getting and try to pick up the skankiest things going. It's like dude, you've gotten another woman pregnant and you're hitting on those closing-time hood-rats? Fine example of fatherhood you are. Nice to see a man like you who actually is devoted to his girl.'

Esposito smiled, saw Ryan returning and tossed a few bills on the bar. She was a nice girl and deserved to have better luck than getting turned down by a married man. 'Thanks a bunch.'

'You too. Good luck with your little one!'

* * *

He walked through the front door of the townhouse and immediately felt better. It smelled of Meredeth's cooking - quesadillas to be precise - and he found his girl in the kitchen collecting up glasses, remnants of the poker match and present giving on the table.

'Hey baby, how was your night out?' she asked, seeing him come through the door.

'Fun, except for the bartender tried to pick me up,' he blurted out in a guilty rush, braced for Meredeth's hormones to come at him full force. He got a little jolt when she simply blinked at him.

'And?'

'And nothing, I told her I was married and having a baby with you and she stopped trying to put the swerve on me, and said how it was nice to see a married man actually being faithful to his wife.' Esposito blushed a little when Meredeth laughed. 'What?'

'Let me see if I have this right. You, a fine specimen of manhood was being hit on by a bartender, and you feel guilty about this because you talked to her and told her that you're going to be a daddy. And after you told her this she was full of nothing but compliments on how you being yourself was a great thing to see? You actually feel guilty about this?'

Put like that, Esposito felt like an idiot. 'I love you and don't like it when other women ignore my wedding ring, seeing it as a hoop to jump through rather than a stop-sign.'

'But she did. Javier,' Meredeth shook her head, wrapped her arms around him in reassurance. 'I know you get hit on when you go out with Ryan, I'd find it kinda strange if you didn't, considering you are a delicious hunk of yummy hell-yes. But I also know that you love me and while you'd be flattered by the attention, at the end of the night you come home to me and we get up to the get down.'

'Exactly.' Esposito 'I love you so much Mere. I'd never do anything to jeopardize what we have.'

'I love you too, and neither would I. Want to help me tidy up?'

'Yeah, why are you doing this? Sit down.'

Meredeth plunked herself in one of the kitchen chairs, watched her husband fuss. He was still feeling guilt for having male eyes in his head, clearly, she mused, and had no problem with it, especially when it meant she was off kitchen detail. 'Not to dent your ego, but did it occur to you that she's a bartender and flirting with anything with XY chromosomes is in the job description so she'll get better tips?'

'Yeah, and I figured that's what it was, but it still doesn't stop me from feeling skeeved out. Only woman I like putting those eyes on me while she pours me a drink is you. Particularly when you're wearing nothing but high heels, an apron and a g-string.'

Meredeth laughed as she remembered the night he was talking about - their first Valentine's together that had made it into their top five all-time greatest hits. 'I don't think the high heels will happen anytime soon.'

'Come on.'

The kitchen cleaned, he took her by the hand, and they went upstairs to the bedroom where he pulled her top over her head, flipped open the buttons on his shirt so they stood stripped to the waist and looking in her antique floor mirror. 'This hotness, this is a unit, a three-part harmony,' he said, rubbing his hands over her belly, then looking at it more closely. 'You've got a vein popping out.'

'No, that's just the lina negra, it's supposed to do that. And I'm sweating more than usual now which means I stink, and the font size of my tattoo has probably gone up from fourteen to twenty-two. Still think I'm hot?'

'Yes,' he replied without hesitation, still stroking her bump over the top of her 'slurpee' jeans; she called them that because they were tug-ons with no zipper and still looked like regular pants. 'From your puffy tender breasts to your super-juicy booty, and your toenails to the tip of your nose. You're my gorgeous Danish angel and never forget that.'

He turned her in his arms and kissed her, the kind that told them both there was no other woman for him or man for her. With a swift move he popped the hooks open of her bra and felt himself harden a little when he felt the soft sweet skin against his body. 'I want to make love with you in the shower,' he murmured. 'You up for it?'

'Always.' Meredeth grinned as she dipped her hands into his front pockets, felt him already in the mood. 'You certainly do.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	14. Fright Night A

It was the Saturday before Hallowe'en, and that meant it was time for Castle's annual costume party. This year, he'd gone with a theme again, which was Heroes and Villains - the guests had all been given in their official invites a note that told them whether they would have to be a hero or a villain and as luck would have it, Esposito had drawn _Hero_ while his bride had scored a _Villain_ card. Being the baseball fan he was, he'd gone with Lou Gehrig and surprisingly it was the sight of the Yankees Hallowe'en costume, and not the admission an attractive bartender had hit on him the night before, that sent Meredeth into a near apoplectic fit.

'You know, you've got some _seriously_ strange pregnancy hormone bitch-fits happening, babe,' he commented as he tugged on a white undershirt, her face in a playful sneer.

'Bitch-fits?'

'Castle's phrase, not mine,' he added hastily when he saw her hand pause as she put on her eye-liner. He'd made the mistake the mistake of criticizing the batch of pumpkin cheese-cake cookies she'd made earlier that day and she'd gone a little banana-sandwich on his ass, then burst into tears when he'd apologized. Esposito had considered himself lucky that she hadn't been extremely hormonal over little things, not in the same way Lanie had been the previous winter. And okay, perhaps he hadn't made it clear he was only teasing when he'd called Meredeth's cookies overdone, but he had most certainly felt like her big strong man when he'd held her close and dried her tears even when he was the root cause of them. 'Clearly he forgets just how wrathful a crossed preggo can be.'

'Perhaps I should set him straight.' Meredeth dabbed eyeliner on her lashes of only one eye, blinked to make sure none landed under her lid before straightening up. 'There. Almost ready.'

'Almost? Mere, we're going to be late.'

'And who's the one getting ready to party for two? Me, _zopenco_.' Meredeth tugged on her white long-sleeve t-shirt, then saw he was laughing at her. 'What?'

'I know you just called me an ass but you sound so white when you try to speak Spanish, Mere, it's adorable.' He kissed her, knowing she'd probably smack him for smudging her lipstick.

'Aren't we a funny man. You hear that?' Meredeth looked down, poked her bump through the fabric of her shirt. 'Daddy's teasing Mommy.'

'That's what we decided on to use? Daddy and Mommy?' Letting her go, Esposito tossed his baseball between his hands as Meredeth sat to tug on her boots.

'I think so. I know your parents will be the 'buelos and Constance will still Momo.' Meredeth had mentioned it to her grandmother and Constance had put her foot down about being called 'oldemor' or 'old-momo'; it was the first and last time the conversation had needed to be had. 'But if we want them to call us something different, I'm fine with that, so long as it's not something like 'the old hag'. There. How do I look?'

Esposito had to admit, her costume was spectacular and would probably win Castle's famous costume contest: she'd chosen Alex DeLarge from _A Clockwork Orange_ and outfitted herself in a comfortable and warm white track suit with knee-high leather flat boots and curled her bobbed hair under her black bowler's hat. 'If Malcolm McDowell had been pregnant when _he_ played Alex, you'd have been twins.'

* * *

They were on time, but Meredeth was in too festive a mood to point this out to her doubting husband. The previous year they'd missed out as Meredeth had to be in England on Hallowe'en for _Lady Hawk_ publicity, only to come home and find her husband was whisking her off to Vegas for a long birthday weekend, and having seen the photos she felt more than a little deprived at missing out on the party.

She was here now, though, and knowing Castle, would have some wonderful kick-ass decorations and concoctions behind the bar both single and double-lady friendly. The moment they were through the door, she zeroed in on him, or rather, on James Bond in his white-jacket tuxedo and martini glass.

'Welly welly welly well, Mrs DeLarge, you clean up quite nicely. The mann-o give you a little of the ultra before arriving at my soiree?'

'Show me to the bar, thou eunuch jelly-thou,' she replied, making Esposito shake his head. He knew movies, but these two were speaking another language. Fortunately, he had something else to distract him - the arrival of his partner, and he did not look in a party mood at all. He was alone, and not in costume, which had Esposito on red-alert. If there was anyone who loved Hallowe'en like Castle, maybe even a little more, it was Kevin Ryan.

'Kevin?' His tone was clear and assertive, as Ryan looked like a man in a trance. When he approached, Esposito was shocked to see his eyes were a little red around the edges, not from drinking but from tears. 'Kevin,' he repeated, 'come on, let's talk.'

Putting a hand on his partner's shoulder, he led him into Castle's office and though it didn't have solid walls, it was considerably quieter and way more private than the rest of the party. Meredeth and Castle followed them in, Castle discreetly closing the door behind them when Ryan sat on the edge of the desk, staring fixedly at the floor while his partner sat beside him.

'Kev, what's up, bro?'

'It's Dell.'

'Dell?' Now Meredeth was on alert as well. 'Did something happen to him? Was he hurt? Was he taken?'

'He's in the hospital. Jenn couldn't wake him up from his nap, and the doctor ran some tests.' He shuddered out a breath as his heart finished breaking, as he told the people he cared about most. 'They...they think he might be in a diabetic coma.'

'Oh Jesus, Kevin.'

'Jenn's down there right now with him and her brother's there, but she's scared and wants to see you guys. He's...he's in the children's ICU. He's so little,' Ryan started, then just snapped. The guilt on his conscience was bone-crushing and he couldn't take it anymore. His shoulders shook violently as he began to weep; he hadn't wept in front of Jenny but he could now. He didn't even register that it was Esposito, his partner and brother, who'd wrapped his arms around him in support until he was hugging him back, desperate for any human contact. 'It's my fault. It's my fault.'

'What?' Appalled, Meredeth could only stare as her husband patted his partner's back in a lovingly supportive gesture. 'How could this be your fault.'

'Diabetes runs in my family. My grandfather had it, both my grandmothers, so does my mother and my sister Kelsey, and when Dell was put onto solids foods, the doctor told us he was hypoglycemic so we had be careful with his diet but he wouldn't need needles, just pills. Now it looks like he will. Not a single case of it on Jenny's side. It's all me. I did this to my son.'

The instinct was to deny it, to remove that responsibility from his mind, but Esposito knew if anything, it would make him feel even worse. Instead, he held on to his partner like he would a brother. 'Here's what we're going to do. Meredeth's got the Nissan downstairs, she's going to drive you back over to the hospital - I'm assuming he's at Saint V's?' When Ryan nodded, Esposito continued, 'I'm going to go get us some fresh clothes and Castle will discreetly let everyone know what's going on. We're here for you, okay?'

'What if...what if he doesn't wake up?'

'No.' Now it was Meredeth's turn to speak. 'No, you can't think like that, Kevin. Not now, not while he has a chance. We'll go to the hospital and everything will be okay.'

* * *

Walking into the children's ICU at Saint Vincent's was one of the hardest things Meredeth had ever done. Still in her costume, they were escorted into Dell's room and Meredeth felt her heart lurch.

She forgot how physically tiny Dell still was for his age. He'd been born three weeks early and while he wasn't malformed or underweight or undernourished, he remained small all over, and this was emphasized by the fact that he was in a bed meant for a three or four year old, his bright red stuffed t-rex tucked in beside him. There was a tube in his mouth to help him breathe and an IV that dripped a bright yellow and clear fluid into a toddler-sized IV in his left wrist. At his bedside, Honey-Milk sat staring at him, glassy-eyed and pale.

'Jenn,' Ryan rasped. 'I'm here, sweetie.'

'Kevin.' It was a gasp, as she reached out for his hand and he was at her side in an instant. 'I don't know what happened, he wasn't showing any signs of any problems before he was napping, he ate his lunch like usual and...I went to wake him and he wouldn't wake up. Why wouldn't he wake up?'

'I'm so sorry, Jennifer.'

'It's not your fault, Kevin. It's no one's fault, no one's to blame. You can't hate someone because of their DNA.' Honey-Milk turned her face into his side, felt him pressed his hand to her temple. 'I want my boy awake and asking for juice. That what he does when he wakes up from a nap. Juice and baby, Mama.'

'Baby?'

In her anxiety, Honey-Milk had nearly forgotten Meredeth was there. She smiled weakly, tried to keep her voice light. 'He loves pregnant women's tummies, Mere. Can't get enough of them and just adores yours especially. He's always asking if we can visit you and check on his baby. That's what he calls it, his baby.'

'That's so sweet.' Her hormones had tears springing into her eyes but Meredeth fought them back as best as she could. 'I remember the first night Javi and I baby-sat him. He thought the boobs he was snuggling against were yours and tried to nurse at them.'

'I remember you telling me that. My first overnight away from my baby.'

Honey-Milk looked back at him, her precious little prince. 'Please be okay, Dell, Mama and Daddy need you here, and so does Auntie Merry. What will she do without her big helper and protector of her baby? You want to meet that little one, I can tell.'

The innocent, almost child-like plea from a mother to her baby was too much for Meredeth, and she excused herself into the hallway, slumped into a chair. She ran her hand in circles over her belly as she did her best not to break down and sob.

'Mere?'

She glanced up, saw her husband in his street clothes with her overnight tote. Castle and Beckett along with Lanie and Dave were following behind them. 'Did something happen? Is Dell-?'

'No, there's no change. Just...something Jenny said, that's all.' The sight of Esposito had Meredeth spilling over and she buried her face in her hands. Immediately he sat down beside her on the next chair, and pulled her in close.

'He'll be fine, my love, he's a tough little nut. He'll pull through.'

'Jenny said he's been calling our little _barn_ his baby. Every day he's been asking to see it. Do you remember the night I was a little hysterical about gaining six pounds and he said to my stomach 'You 'tay safe'? Oh, Javi.'

'Shh, shh. It's okay.'

They stayed there, a quiet guard outside of Dell's room while his parents stayed with him. Meredeth even nodded in and out a few times, thought vaguely about why they hadn't called them sooner but chalked it up to parental distress. A little while later, Beckett was there, returned from a follow-up interview at a prison upstate on potential cell-talk for a repeat offender, and joined Castle in the lounge; she'd obviously gotten a text from him, as she'd brought bags of take-out from Monsoon's in her hands.

'Mere,' Esposito murmured to his bride. 'I know it's probably the last thing on your mind at the moment, given that you're worried about our friends, but you need a small snack and you definitely need something to drink. Beckett just brought food from Monsoon's, you feel like that?'

'Chicken. No rice, no noodles, just chicken. Even if you bring me a carton and I just eat the chicken. Oh and something fizzing to drink.'

'You got it, babe.'

Meredeth watched him go, knowing that in just five months time, they'd be back here to welcome their boy or girl into the world. It was the same hospital where Dell had been born just a little over two short years before. She remembered watching him the first time and Esposito had asked why he was wearing socks on his hands, the first time she'd cuddled him. His first word - handsome - had been spoken in her kitchen.

Oh, God.

Then she heard the movement, the spark of Honey-Milk's voice and Ryan rushing out of the room as he tried to find a nurse.

'He's choking,' he stammered, panicked at what he'd seen. 'He's choking, he can't breathe.'

Meredeth stood up, turned so she was in the door frame, saw the doctor rush in and lift Dell's eyelids, examined his pupil reactions as the nurse removed the tube from hi throat. The moment she did so, Dell began to cry in frightened whimpering sobs.

'Mama? Mama?'

'I'm right here, baby, Mama's right here.' Tears of relief rushed to Honey-Milk's eyes as her son gripped her fingers so tightly they turned white. 'You're okay sweetie.'

'Daddy. Mama, Daddy.'

'I'm right here, too big, guy.'

Meredeth let them have their private moment, and somehow made it from his room to the lounge, where everyone was waiting in edgy silence for some kind of news. 'He's awake,' she told them in a shaky voice. 'He's crying and scared but he's awake.'

The room breathed a collective sigh of relief, and Meredeth sat down in the seat on the couch beside Esposito. He took her hand and gripped it. 'Have the doctors said anything to them yet?'

'No but right now, I think they're just relieved their son's awake and breathing on his own.'

Lanie and Beckett both reached for the tissue box on the table, blew their noses. 'That sweet little boy,' Beckett murmured, not ashamed to be seen in the verge of weeping right now. 'Oh I hope everything's alright.'

They all stopped talking when Ryan came to the door, let him say his piece. The man looked positively wrung out, so they gave him their undivided attention.

'He's going to be okay. Ah...they were right, it was the hypoglycemia. He's going to have to go on needles now. Um, Javi and Mere, can I see you out here for a moment?'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	15. Fright Night B

Esposito and Meredeth met him in the hallway, unsure of why he needed to speak to them alone. 'What's up, Kev?' Meredeth asked, fingers linked with Esposito's, knowing both of them needed the contact.

'The doctors got his blood-work back. He's fully diabetic now. Type two, though, that's a relief so he might not have to stay on needles his whole life but he definitely needs them right now.'

'Oh, Kevin, dude I am so sorry.' Esposito dropped Meredeth's hand to give him a supportive embrace. It was never easy to hear news like that, no matter how easily steps could be taken to make the day-to-day life normal and easy. 'What can we do?'

'We need a place to stay tonight. Our apartment's farther away than your house is, in case they want us back here or we need to rush him back, so-'

'Consider it done,' Meredeth said without hesitation. 'But why are they discharging him so quickly?'

'They've given him some take-home shots and he got enough sucked in through his glucose IV but because he's no longer a critical case, he's an outpatient. We have to bring him back in the morning for an exam.'

'Okay. What do you and Jenny need from your apartment?'

'Clothes, and Dell's things. Pyjamas, fresh clothes, his overnight underpants and his cape.'

'His cape?' Meredeth repeated.

Ryan nodded, glad to have a reason to smile. 'That towel he got at Castle and Beckett's wedding, he calls it his Superman cape, takes that damn thing every where with him. He even got one of my white t-shirts from the laundry and tied it around his t-rex so he had a matching cape.'

'We'll get it all.'

'And if you could talk to Beckett about work,' Ryan started, but was waved off by Esposito.

'She's here, and I'm sure she's already spoken to Montgomery. Not to worry about that. I'll be fine and Karpowski's boy Newman is always an eager beaver to help with grunt work.' Esposito gripped the back of Ryan's neck, punched his shoulder. 'We got your back, bro.'

* * *

By the time they were ready to go home, they'd organized themselves like a combat shock-troop team. Esposito and Ryan would ride up front in the Nissan while Meredeth, Honey-Milk and Dell would be in back, Dell on his mother's lap to Chelsea and drop off the ladies with the patient there while the men went to the Ryan apartment to pack what was needed for an overnight. They weren't worried now about him falling asleep, thanks to the glucose drip and Honey-Milk had been given a couple of doses via syringes to administer to him at precise times; being a nurse she was more than capable of giving her son his medication. It was a matter of Dell not being terrified of the needles, as he'd always been a screamer when he'd had to have his booster shots. Administering the shots would be tricky, but Meredeth knew them well and knew they wouldn't let anything jeopardize their son's health, and that perhaps the need for a daily shot, sometimes twice or three times a daily shot, would help him overcome that fear.

Once at the townhouse, they went upstairs and Meredeth immediately made up the guest bedroom bed for herself and Esposito, insisting that the Ryans, all three of them, should have the main room with the queen-sized bed.

'Mere, you're pregnant, I'm not putting you out of your own bed,' Honey-Milk insisted, giving Arturo an absent scratch behind the ears as he wandered in to see the goings-on.

'This is a double bed and you've got the ensuite for privacy in the master bedroom. You and Kevin and Dell take that one. We'll be fine here, I promise.'

'Mama?'

Dell's plaintive voice carried from the bedroom next door and immediately Honey-Milk rushed in, saw him lying on his side on Meredeth and Esposito's big comfy bed looking positively miserable. 'Want Daddy,' he sighed. 'And rex too. And baby.'

'Oh, listen, Dell, I know you're not feeling well and I want to give you whatever you need to feel better, but Daddy went to get our things and Auntie Merry's tired too. But your rex is right here.' Honey-Milk passed him his stuffed dinosaur, brushed her hand over his little blond head as he cuddled it close.

On an inspiration, and knowing her friend would appreciate it, Meredeth sat down on the other side of Dell. 'You know what, big guy, it's story time. You like stories, right?'

'Yes. Like dinos.'

'I don't know any stories about dinos, but I know a good one about pirates, and guess who likes pirates?'

Dell shoved himself into a sitting position, and even in his unsettled state, patted Meredeth's tummy. 'Baby like pirates?'

'You betcha, boy-o. You want to hear the baby's favourite pirate story?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Mere, are you sure?' Honey-Milk looked concerned. 'I know you need your rest.'

'It's okay, I'll be up for sure until Ryan and Javi get here anyways. Go use the ensuite to get a shower, freshen up some. I'm sure it'll make you feel a little better.'

'Okay.'

Meredeth watched her go into the suite's bathroom, then leaned back on the pillows as she heard Arturo settle down at the foot of the bed. The moment she did, Dell laid his head against her side, cheek pillowing between her breast and her growing bump as he ran his hand in tiny circles near her navel.

'Baby okay? Hea-thy?'

'Yes, the baby's healthy. In fact do you know what the baby was doing yesterday when Uncle Javi and I saw his or her picture at the doctor's office?'

'What baby do?'

'The baby had the hiccups.'

Dells blue eyes brightened a little. 'Hiccups?'

'Yes.'

'Hiccups ouchie?'

'No, the hiccups don't hurt the baby, or me. They just happen. Now,' Meredeth wrapped her arm around the boy to keep him close. 'You ready for a story about pirates and treasure?'

'Yes, puh-lease.'

'Okay. Well this one starts with the story of a greedy ship captain named Nathanial Flint, and he was the scariest pirate of the seven seas.'

Fifteen minutes later, Honey-Milk emerged from the shower in the oversized pyjamas she borrowed from Meredeth, her hair wrapped in a towel; she stopped short when she saw her little boy snuggled up against Meredeth, still awake but totally relaxed as she told him the story of _Treasure Island_.

'And then, do you know what happened?'

'What?'

'The pirates believe Ben Gunn's trap and followed his directions, which meant that Jim and the others were safe.'

'Yea,' Dell replied sleepily, then seeing his mother, sat up a little straight. 'Mama, I tired.'

'I know baby.'

'I no like doc-ors.'

'I know that too, baby.' Honey-Milk slid on to the bed beside her son, but before he went to her, he gave Meredeth's stomach one last hug and kissed her belly.

'Night baby. No hiccups. I here.' With his declaration of protection made, Dell turned over so he was now lying against his mother and within minutes of feeling her near, was sound asleep, breathing normally as his mother patted his head.

Meredeth watched her friend with the utmost admiration. Maybe it was because Honey-Milk was a pediatric nurse and knew how to handle children in crisis or maybe she was simply a stronger person than Meredeth, but there was no doubting that this woman was a hell of a mother and an even stronger woman.

'Jenn, you are amazing, how are you not breaking down?'

'I'll wait until my hubby gets here. He loves his boy so much, I've seen proud daddies and concerned daddies and none of them hold a candle to my Kevin.'

'He loves you.'

'Oh yeah, big time, and I love him right back.' Honey-Milk shifted so that her son lay against the pillows, which she poked with a finger. 'These are awfully squishy.'

'They're Javi's. He loves his goose-down pillows.'

'Mama, 'forter?' Dell asked in his sleep, and Honey-Milk tugged up the soft cotton duvet around her son and his stuffed toy, her body and Meredeth's keeping him from rolling out of place. 'No ouchie baby,' he added in a mumble. 'I here.'

Meredeth giggled, and so to her surprise did Honey-Milk as she stroked her son's back in calming passes. 'Now there's a possessive little boy.'

'I have a theory on this, care to hear it?'

'Sure.' She knew her friend needed something positive to focus on so hearing her chat about her son was more than welcome.

'I think you've got his future sweetheart growing in there.'

'What?'

'Seriously.' Honey-Milk scooted down on the pillows a little to hold her son against her body. 'With Rosie, it was fascinating because he'd never seen a pregnant belly before, and then when she turned out to be a girl, he was upset he didn't have another boy to play with. Then he got Carey from Lanie and he always calls him 'buddy' even though he can obviously say baby now. But you...he's acting like, well like Kev said Javier did when they figured out who the Bodega stalker was, or like you did when Javi had been shot and you were dead set on not going anywhere.'

'You really think whoever is growing inside me is going to be the love of your son's life?'

'Call it a hunch,' Honey-Milk started, then stopped when Arturo scrambled to his feet, flew down the stairs; as there was no barking the women knew it was Esposito and Ryan coming in. She started to get up, felt guilty when Meredeth beat her to it.

'You stay with him. I'll go.'

'Mere-'

'I'm okay, really. It's barely even midnight and the little one's deemed my sleep hours are one am to nine am.'

Leaving the concerned mother with her child, Meredeth took the stairs down slowly, and found the men in the kitchen. Ryan still looked shell-shocked as he sat at the kitchen table, and her husband was at the fridge, passing Ryan a beer and pulling out containers of food leftover from their dinner their night - grilled taco-style salmon and salsa cruda. Meredeth walked in, supporting her growing belly with one hand.

'I won't say alcohol's a bad idea because it's a depressant since clearly we could all use a little something, so I'll just say drink it slowly, especially before you have something to eat.'

'I don't want to get drunk,' Ryan replied numbly. 'I just feel so helpless and useless and that if it weren't for me-'

'If it weren't for you, there wouldn't be a Thomas Delaney Ryan in the first place,' Meredeth cut him off, 'diabetic or otherwise.'

'I know. I know,' Ryan repeated, scrubbing his hands over his face.

'You keep blaming yourself, you will end up in a very dark place that you don't want to be in, and not only will it affect how to be a good parent to Dell but it'll take its toll on Jenny, and that's the last thing you want. She's not blaming you, you're the only one doing that.'

'Mere's right bro.' Esposito dumped the fish into a frying pan to warm it up, give it a little toast. 'You need to knock it off, because your son needs you and your wife does too. It's not the best curve ball to be thrown but it's one of the most manageable conditions out there. He'll be able to give himself the needles and you said he might be able to go off them, right?'

'Yeah.' Ryan cast baleful eyes on his partner. 'I know all of that. I just...I need to be with my family.'

* * *

When Meredeth and Esposito turned in for the night, they quickly and quietly checked in on the Ryan family. At least that had been the original intention, along with shooing Arturo away from the end of the bed, but Arturo was as big a fan of Honey-Milk as Dell was of Meredeth and Esposito's unborn child and there was no convincing him to move from the end of the bed. When Meredeth gave up on the effort, she just watched the three of them on the bed: Ryan asleep on his side, arm flung out so his head rested near his wife's head, the other near his son's back, Honey-Milk facing him, her hand resting near Ryan's wrist and Dell in the middle, flanked by his parents watching over them. As they went into the guest room, stretched out on the comfortable double bed there Esposito could see Meredeth was chewing over something in her mind. Because they were in such close proximity to each other from the narrower bed, it was hard to miss the contemplative light in her eyes.

'What are you thinking, babe?'

'I want to call Joel.'

'Joel?'

'Joel, Teddy's son. My half-brother.' Meredeth plucked at the sleep-shirt covering Esposito's chest. 'Given what happened tonight, I think it'd be wise to find out something of my family's medical history.'

Esposito said nothing, as he knew Meredeth was still trying to come to grips with the fact that her biological father had been in New York for much of her life and she'd never known it was him or that he was so close by. She'd only discovered his identity when Esposito had been called to the scene of his death, a suspicious circumstances that had been ruled suicide.

'If you want to do that, I'll support you. If not, I'll support that too. How long has it been since you last talked?'

'Beginning of the summer, just before Rick and Kate's wedding. I sent him an email telling him what we were up to for the holiday weekend.' Meredeth sighed, turned over so she could spoon up against her husband. She took his hand in hers, inspecting the inscription on his wedding ring, the one that matched hers. _For You I Will_. He would, too, whatever she needed or wanted, he'd do it for her. 'I want you to come with me. I know you're busy and you'll have your hands full with Ryan now being a little edgier than usual, but pick a time and I'll get in touch with him.'

'Of course my love. Whatever you need.'

Meredeth nodded, as the fatigue she was so used to sneaked up on her and made her feel like she'd been run over by a truck. She wiggled against him a little, and fell asleep smiling as he rubbed his hand over her belly.

'I'm not letting anything happen to my girl or my baby,' he murmured, breathing deep her scent. It was a perfect sedative to a stressful night.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	16. The Night Moves: 17 Weeks

_Hello everyone! Are you all going into withdrawal like me now that we have to wait until Dec 6 for a new episode? Hopefully this will make the wait easier! The second part of this chapter was mos-def inspired by the 'Twilight/A-Rod' exchange in 'Almost Famous', how could I let that moment go unappreciated in the Crumbsverse! Enjoy and as always, merci beaucoup for your lovely reviews!_

* * *

On Thursday morning, Meredeth walked up the steps of the court house, saw Gil Mazzara on his cellphone, waiting for her.

'Thanks, I gotta run. Hey,' he greeted her with a wide smile as she made it up the final stairs. 'Look at you, so beautiful. Let me get that.'

Meredeth shouldered her small tote bag. 'Oh, it's just a couple of light notebooks and my pencil kit.' She paused a moment when she her cell rang, and she shook her head when she saw the text.

_Make sure Mazzara takes good care of you two, I'm doing the charity calendar after shift tonight so I'll be home around nine when we're done. Love you. xx J._

'Why didn't you volunteer for the NYPD charity calendar, Gil?' Meredeth asked, texting Esposito back - _You'll make a great Officer July with your gun show. See you tonight. Love you too. xx M.  
_

'I'm a little too salt-and-pepper for what they want.' Gil held open the door for her when they went inside to the courtroom where the case would be heard. 'I was surprised to get your call to watch this case, Mere. You've never done this before, in all your time with Javier?'

'Of course, but it wasn't for research. The cases he wanted me there for I was moral support for him. And point two, the trial that is going into book seven is not about murder, it's about drug running, as my major arch-nemisis of Lady Hawk is a dope king. That's more your wheelhouse than his.'

'Fair point.' Gil held open the door to the courtroom for her, noting that even at seventeen weeks and three days pregnant she still walked into a room like she owned it. Her hand on the side of her bump seemed to prove her power even more, as if to say _Not only can I kick you all in the teeth before lunch but I can make a life too, suck on those bricks, punk_. It was easy to see from that perspective why Esposito loved her so much. Just like the reason he'd fallen for Robina. 'Want me to run through the major players for you?'

'Sure.'

'We've got four major ones - Roberto Quintana, a mid-level guy who used to work for Julio Robinson. There's Detective Kent, who headed up the task force to bust Quintana and his fifteen million dollar payload, Molly Lawson, Quintana's girl who turned witness for the prosecution to ease her sentence and myself, who arrested Molly Lawson for trafficking and distribution.'

'Julio Robinson. Why should I know that name? I know I'll feel like a fool when you say what he did.'

'He was a big-time drug guy, ran the Columbian dancing dust game in the five boroughs and four other counties. After he went up-creek, cocaine busts went down almost forty percent in the tri-state area alone.' Gil paused. 'It was Timo Ross who busted him.'

'Right.' Meredeth remembered the story from Esposito about Timo Ross - the Narc cop who'd been a Superman of an investigator whose body was found beaten to death in the alley behind an ice-cream store. He'd been one of the ones to take an interest in Esposito and had set him on his way to achieving his goal of his detective's shield. 'How did that case go cold? You'd think everyone would be howling for blood and sharpening their pitchforks when someone like that went down.'

'Cop work's as much about getting lucky, the stars lining you up into the right place at the right time. Like me seeing one of my regular junkie snitches making a buy from Molly Lawson. I was on my way to see him about something else and here I am getting this major piece of the puzzle in my lap.'

'All rise!'

The bailiff called the court to order as Markaway came to the bench and everyone was seated. As the trial opened and progressed, Meredeth made the notes she needed to, noting down the phrases that were used by the lawyers, the way evidence was introduced, the looks on the jury's faces as they heard the testimony's from the arresting officers, and the criminals themselves. All of it was important, the atmosphere as much as the dialogue. Had it been permitted, she would have taken photos for Kristof but knew he'd do his own thing.

And still she kept in the back of her mind the connection to Julio Robinson and Timo Ross. That was a very interesting case indeed, one she knew was too painful for her husband to openly discuss; he only brought it up when a current case connected to it some how. She was surprised Castle hadn't gone into the archives and looked up that information, after all he'd gone into Beckett's mother's case. But that had been out of a misguided attempt to help her, not research on a novel and she knew the writer well enough to know he'd never use a case with a personal connection for his stories. The real-life pain didn't need to be immortalized or glamourized whatsoever.

So why the nagging feeling about that one?

* * *

'Sounds like you had a lot of fun, _cunada_.'

'Oh yeah, court cases are always a laugh riot.' Meredeth shifted the phone against her ear as she rolled to her side on the bed, began doing bicycle kicks. She'd decided to multitask before bed and use a phone-call to her sister-in-law to set up a lunch date for baby shopping while doing some exercises to keep the fluid from building up in her legs. More than anything with her pregnancy she was feeling the weight and the water in her thighs and calves. 'So listen, the baby thing, we're not looking at furniture, that's me and Javi. I want to get some baby supplies, like towels and diapers and those kinds of things.'

'Good idea, since you don't know what you're having.' Lili paused a moment as she spoke to her daughter. 'Rosie, just one. Because Mami said so. Sorry.'

'No, it's okay, I know that's going to be me in about a year's time.'

'The thing is, you can get a lot of really adorable unisex pjs and snugglies and onsies so don't worry too much about that.'

Meredeth grinned, then tensed a little when she heard the front door slam and her husband's mumbling floating up the stairs a few feet in front of him. 'Oh shit. Javi's home early. This can't be good. I'll talk to you later.'

She hung up the phone, tried to look relaxed as he came in the bedroom, snapping the door shut behind him. 'Hey babe.'

'Hey.'

Meredeth knew the tone instantly, and sat up as he took apart the pieces of his belt - communicator, cell, cuffs, the holster for his pistol. He was feeling very slighted about something, no question, but he'd been in a great mood when he'd left that morning making her curious as to what could have gone wrong.

'How'd everything go with the photographer?'

'Fucking idiot cut me out. Son of a bitch said the A-Rod look for July was way outdated and I was too Jersey Shore for August, and not country-club enough for June, but of course they kept Ryan for October, had him and friggin Newman dress up like those skinny Twilight vamp-brats for the Hallowe'en photo.

'Oh, Javi.' Meredeth's instinct was to soothe but she knew he was too fired up and treating him like broken baby bird would make him feel even more insulted. She also knew that despite being a very confident guy, no ego - even his mammoth sized rhino hide ego - was completely bullet proof. Having been in the calendar two years running in both the group cover shot and a month to himself -July the first year, April the second year - was a major point of pride to him, much in the same way her photoshoot for _Bombshell _had been for her. Instead she walked up behind him and put her hands on his hips.

'Come with me.'

'Why?'

She walked him over to the full-length mirror squared him up while letting her hands rest on his shoulders. 'What do you see?'

'Mere-'

'Just play along.'

'Fine. I see a sexy-ass mother who's got no right being cut from an NYPD calendar.'

'So do I, but I see so much more than that. You've got scars, like here-' she reached up, brushed her fingers over his forehead '-and here-' her fingers moved to his bullet-wound scar. 'Things like that, they give you character. And I'll tell you something else. Calendar or not, there's one part of you that is good for any tiem of year.'

'Really?' The dents in his ego were starting to unpucker as he felt his wife's body up against his, the pop of her pregnant belly on his back. Every time he felt it, he remembered he'd planted that little seed inside her that was now growing and changing her beautifully. 'What's that?'

'This.' Meredeth moved her hands down to tap her fingertips against his zipper. 'This is some serious talent right here and it's all mine.'

'Damn right it is.'

'And the way it makes me feel, well, I'd guess that's better than any calendar fanmail.'

'Makes me feel really good too.'

Meredeth stretched to her tiptoes, nipped his earlobe. 'Does your fanmail, all four letters, do this?'

She dragged his zipper downwards, slipped her hand under his boxers to touch him. Feminine thrill, slick and heady like a strong martini, flowed in her veins when she felt him tense then let out a shuddering breath as she stroked him.

'Technically,' he managed through clenched teeth as bubbles in his blood burst volcanically, 'I got five letters, but since one was from my cousin Frannie, I see your point.'

'And I see yours.' Meredeth slipped her other hand under the hem of his boxers, let her palm rest against the front of his hip before turning him around. 'And I bet your fanmail doesn't do this-' she shoved his pants and boxers down his body, cupping him in her hands when he was freed '-or this either.'

Before he could protest, she lowered herself to her knees in front of him, kissing along the length of him, already hardening from her touch; she ran the rounded edge of her tongue from base to tip before swirling it around him, making him swear as he put his hand on her hair and trying to steady his balance.

'Just you Mere. Baby,' he told her, gently easing her back, 'why don't we continue this like I do for you?'

'A most excellent idea.'

Esposito helped his bride to her feet, placing his hands on either side of her belly as he kissed her, not at all ashamed that his musk was still on her tongue. He helped her undress, though it didn't take much in the soft, loose tank top and shorts she wore. Within two minutes they were naked and tumbling gently onto the bed; Meredeth was on her back and Esposito moved one of his pillows underneath her to give her more support.

'How's that, Mere?'

'Good, nice and squishy.' She reached down between their bodies, took his erection in her hand. 'But this most definitely isn't.'

She stroked him, felt one tension leave his body to be replaced by another. His eyes, somehow even darker with his hair gone, burn like fire embers as she watched his face. 'So big,' she purred, 'so good.'

He lower his mouth to hers, greedy for her as only she could make him. She was the one person who could boost his ego without making him feel needy and damn she did she know how to do it. 'Mere,' he murmured against her ear, 'I want your mouth on me.'

'Anything you want, it's yours.'

Straddling her, Esposito moved up her body so his hands braced on the headboard; he pounded his fist lightly on the rail when he felt her lips and tongue on him, suckling, teasing, tormenting him in the most delicious way possible. He swore when he felt the delicate trace of her fingertips join the magic she was already using on him.

'That feel good, Javi?'

'Fuck, yes. Don't stop.'

'Are you sure? Do you want to come like this?' she asked him, punctuating each word with a kiss against him; he was hot as a furnace and hard as iron now.

'No. I want to be inside you.'

'You are, in a manner of speaking.'

'Not like that.' Shifting off of her, trying to hold onto the greasy threads of control, Esposito helped his wife to her knees, turned so she spooned against him. He nudged her thighs apart and with a bit of manoeuvering, filled her from behind. 'This is easiest on you, and it feels fuckin' fantastic for me.'

'How-'

It was as far as she got before she cried out in pleasure as he reached his hand around her hip and brushed his thumb over that sweet trigger between her thighs. She'd already been wet for him from hearing his dirty talk and breathy requests for what he want her to do to his body, now she felt the juices he'd stirred in her go directly to simmer on the verge of boiling over. Meredeth bucked against his touch, inadvertently setting the pace and she felt him drive himself inside her again and again as he suckled at the curve of her neck.

'Right there, baby,' she sighed as she felt herself begin to spark with orgasm. 'I love it, Javi, I love you.'

'I love you Mere,' he murmured back, his hips pistoning against hers. They could only say it once to each other as the animal need inside took over and he was thrusting in and out of her as fast as he could without hurting her, and when he heard her cry out she was coming, he followed her swiftly into release.

Bones dissolved and brains barely functioning, they slid down to the bed, Meredeth curled into her husband's chest; he'd flipped her over to face him some time after they'd finished and she lay with her ear pressed near his heart, listening to it like thundering horses' hooves under his skin.

'Officer July, I'm your number one fan,' she said to him in a teasing, nasal voice, glad when he laughed.

'And I'm your number one fan, Missus Officer July.' Esposito stroked his Meredeth's belly as his heart-rate came back to Earth, the yelped when he felt something nudge under his hand. 'Hey!'

He had a moment to be shocked, then stared at Meredeth in wonder. 'Did you feel that?'

'I most certainly did.' She reached her hand out to sit up, rubbing her palm over the spot where she'd felt... 'Javi,' she whispered in an excited hiss. 'It's moving! The baby's moving!'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	17. Emotional Riptide

He was awakened a few hours later by his phone ringing in his partner's preset ring-tone. After their very hot lovemaking, and the first time feeling the baby's kicks, they'd stayed wrapped together, watching her stomach wiggle and jiggle before falling asleep in the same positions. Now, at quarter past midnight, still in the same spot and one hand still on his wife's belly, Esposito had to reach past Meredeth to his side of the bed for his phone.

'Esposito,' he said on a groggy sigh.

'We caught a body.'

'We're not on call tonight.'

'Dude, you're gonna want this one. It's Angela Doran.'

Now Esposito was awake. 'Mike Doran's daughter?'

'Yeah.'

Esposito got the rest of the information of where to meet Ryan and snapped his phone shut. He looked back at Meredeth, saw she moved her hand to where his had been on her body moments before. Before he could even get up to dress, Meredeth sighed in her usual waking-up way.

'Javi? You got called?'

'Yeah. It's a bad one, Mere.'

Meredeth sat up, padded to the ensuite for her robe. 'I'll fix you something to take with.'

'Baby, it's after midnight, you should be resting.'

'The little one woke me up. Kicked me in the kidney, so I'd be up anyways.'

She belted her robe, gave his cheek a kiss as she went downstairs with the dog, making Esposito love her a little more. Most people when they looked at Meredeth saw a creampuff and they were sadly mistaken. They had no idea the titanium strength of her spirit and her heart.

He dressed in a suit for this one, knowing the Dorans would deserve it when he knocked on their door, and when he'd assembled his gear, he went downstairs to see Meredeth tucking in his cloth drawstring lunch-sac into his work-bag. 'You've got pulled pork on challah, pita chips and hummus, and some red raspberry iced tea,' she told him before pouring coffee into his travel thermos. 'There's also a bottle of tea for Ryan if he wants it and his cookies.'

'Love you Mere. Gimme one for good luck,' he told her, pressing his hand to her belly.

Meredeth pressed her lips to his in a comforting kiss. 'Love you too.'

Esposito took the extra three seconds, knelt in front of her belly and kissed the spot where he'd felt the movement under his hand. 'Love you too, baby.'

* * *

Ryan was already waiting on scene for him, coffee in hand. 'Wish this had some bourbon in it,' he said grimly when Esposito popped out of his ride and was walking towards the tape. Ryan half-toasted half-pointed to the sign on the back of the building. 'Look familiar?'

Esposito recognized the logo for the Milk-and-Honey creamery. 'That isn't a happy accident.'

Weaver was their ME on scene and he looked just as stricken as the uniforms did. 'She was a really nice girl,' he sighed, making notes on his official medical forms, gave Esposito the run-down. 'Angela Doran, age thirty, found by the last of the staff closing up the ice cream shop tonight. Preliminary cause of death appears to be strangulation, but there are a hell of a lot of bruises on her arms and legs, which leads me to believe this isn't your primary murder scene.'

'Unlikely,' Ryan agreed, making notes while CSU did their thing around him. 'You have a time of death?'

'Somewhere between ten and midnight, given her liver temp. She was way fresh when I got here.'

'Someone wanted her found.'

Weaver nodded, then stepped back to let the CSUs move in with their equipment, covered the body which had Esposito arching an eyebrow in question. 'I asked them to hot-glue the body. There might be some prints still on her.'

'Good call.' Esposito fought the yawn and lost, but kept going. 'You find her purse?'

'Still looking for it, she was ID'd by Officer Bruno over there. They were friends.'

Esposito looked over, saw the young uniform giving Ryan a statement with the traces of grief on her face; he stayed crouched by the ME. 'This is a little too close to home,' he murmured to Weaver, who nodded.

'My first solo was Timo Ross. This hits way too close. You'll have everything on both bodies as soon as I can get it. This is my priority right now.'

'Thanks, man.'

Weaver packed up his things, helped his assistants load the body on the stretcher, leaving Esposito to look around. Eight years, he thought, eight goddamn years and they were all here again, and they'd have to tell another cop family that their loved one was dead. He dragged a hand over his face, went over to Ryan.

'If you think of anything out of the ordinary from the past couple of days or-'

'I know how it works, Detective,' Bruno snapped a little bitterly; because they were all feeling it, Ryan let it go.

'Then you know it's routine.' Esposito nudged his partner in the ribs. 'We have to get to the Dorans before this gets on the airwaves.'

Ryan nodded, tucked his notebook into his breast pocket as they walked away from the scene towards Esposito's ride - Ryan had taken the subway since his was in for maintenance. Once in the cocoon of the car, he spoke his mind. 'The killer had to know who she was and what that place was and her connection to Timo. Espo?'

'Sorry, what?'

'You're way out in orbit, we need you back on Earth.'

'Right.' He couldn't help thinking about what it would be like if it were him and Meredeth getting the call about their baby, their child. He'd been overjoyed, awake with Meredeth longer than he should have been feeling the baby move under her skin, that little life he'd helped make awakening. Being called to the murder scene of a respected colleague's child was an unwelcome chaser to that sensation. He absently rubbed the steering wheel, the phantom feel of that nudge on his hand. Switching to a topic he knew would distract his partner, Esposito turned east towards Murray Hill. 'How's Dell doing?'

'A lot better than we thought he would with the needles.' Ryan stared out the window, forced his voice to steel over. It had been three weeks since Hallowe'en and he'd mostly forgiven himself but talking about it was still a little touchy. 'We explained to him that when his sugar gets too low, like a thermometer, and he has to have the 'good ouchies' to keep the sugar monster away.'

'Good ouchies?'

'It's what Jenny calls his insulin syringes and finger-pricks. He cried a little at first because he's two and a half, he doesn't understand it completely but he's a tough little guy. Jenny's set up a little chart in his room to write down the numbers to keep track of his blood sugar and we showed him how certain numbers aren't good if they're too high or low.' Ryan let out a little laugh. Even talking about this change in his son's life, he could still be the proud daddy. 'Tonight after dinner, he went right into his room, and unzipped his case with his finger-pricks in them and he said to me, 'good ouchie time, Daddy.'

'He's so smart, it's kinda scary.'

'His pediatrician thinks he's one of those gifted critters.' Ryan let out a little laugh. 'He put a band-aid on his t-rex's claw.'

'No shit?'

'Yeah.' Ryan laughed again. 'Last week, when I was getting him dressed to go with Jenny to the hospital pre-school, he asked for one of his band-aids, and I watched him put it on the finger of his stuffed t-rex and he said t-rex has the good ouchies too.'

'That's so sweet. See, he's going to be fine.' Esposito pulled to a stop in front of the building where Captain Mike Doran of the Twenty-Third Precinct's Narc Bureau and his wife Christine lived. 'Me or you?'

'You. You knew Timo, it'd be easier coming from you.'

He sighed, shut off the engine. 'It's never easy.'

* * *

By the time they got to the precinct by way of the morgue - Weaver wasn't a bullshitter and had a definitive cause of death in his preliminary report as he already had the autopsy underway - Esposito was completely turned inside out by his heart. Those old feelings of the Timo Ross case were circling like sharks and ramming into the new feelings, the absolute pure joy of feeling his baby move for the first time inside Meredeth, all underlined with a heavy lack of sleep; he'd calculated it and had only clocked about three hours of sleep before Ryan's call had woken him.

Coffee was the solution here. An even better solution was a double espresso latte.

'Espo?'

'Huh?'

Ryan gave him the wall-eye, pointed to the fridge. 'You cooling down or needing the milk?'

'Milk.'

'I got it.' Ryan snagged the carton of skim milk from the second shelf, finished making the coffees for his partner and made another for himself. He added a small spoon of sugar to Esposito's, passed it to him. It hadn't gone unnoticed by him that the daddy-to-be was sticking in second gear, and he didn't think it was all about the case. 'Everything okay at home?'

'Hey guys.' Castle came in, his handsome face in sober lines. 'We heard about the case you two caught, and Im here to help. Extra eyes, extra back, someone to take a swing at if you need it.'

'Thanks bro.' Ryan turned back to Esposito. 'What's going on?'

'The baby started kicking last night.'

'No way!' Now Castles perked up, as did Ryan; both were all ears. 'That's a great moment. It's when you stop just watching your wife expand her dress size, you can tell it's actually happening. There's a little life in there.'

Despite the sombre morning and rough case they were facing, Esposito still found the energy to smile. 'We'd just finished, ah, been romantic with each other,' he said, choosing his words carefully for his partner's sake, 'and I was running my hand over her belly and there it was, this little bump under my hand, it was so beautiful.'

'Dell's first kick was like that too,' Ryan added. 'Be forewarned, now that it's moving around, if you and your lady are getting romantic with each other, he or she might have something to say about it.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, it's because the mother's heart is beating a little faster. At least you hope it is when you're getting naked,' Castle winked, 'and the baby doesn't go into distress but it let's you know that it knows you're up to something.'

'Ah, good to know.' Esposito had read something about that in one of the books, but it had slipped his mind, and was thankful his friends who were both parents themselves gave him advice on such a personal topic without teasing him too much.

Before the conversation could continue, there was a knock on the door and Esposito turned, saw Milla, one of the DNA techs. 'Here, thought you might want to take a look at this for your case,' she said in a squeaking small voice. 'Angela's bloodwork, I put a rush on it as per Weaver's instructions.'

'Thanks, Milla.'

'Duty calls.' Castle went to the cappuccino machine, prepped a second coffee for Beckett. 'Let me know what I can do, really.'

* * *

Esposito didn't make it home until nearly seven that night, and after an eighteen hour day, he was ready to collapse in a heap. He'd texted Meredeth on his way home that it was a rough one, and when he walked through the door, he was ready to weep out of sheer exhaustion. The scent of sweet-potato and chicken soup permeated the air and he could hear the sounds of a bubbling pot along with music and Arturo working on one of his Denta-Bones in the kitchen. Dropping his bag and jacket by the door, he lurched into the kitchen to see his Danish angel at the stove, working on dinner she knew to be one of his comfort foods.

Without a word, he came up behind her and held her tight, circling his arms between her breasts and her bump, breathed her in. Rain or shine, she always had that scent that he loved so much, that before they'd been together a month he'd been able to pick out in a crowd. Cucumber soap and French perfume; it was the smell of home.

'Hey Javi,' she murmured, stirred the pot of fragrant broth with a long wooden spoon. 'Baby, you're whopped.'

'I know it, Mere. Did I tell you today how much I love you?'

'Yes, but once more for the cheap seats never hurts.' Meredeth let the soup simmer, turned to face him. 'I love you too. You want some tea, a hot soak?'

'Both, but not yet. Later, together. Just let me hang on to you a moment.'

'Okay.'

Esposito pressed his hand against her belly, feeling instantly better when he felt the squirming underneath it. 'Little one's talking to me too.'

'He or she is saying, it's okay Daddy, Mommy's made your favourite soup and will give you a back rub if you want it.'

'And here I am supposed to be the one taking care of you.'

'Baby, you do take care of me. You get me all my crazy craving foods, you rub that hideously greasy cocoa butter lotion on my belly so I won't get stretch marks, you even make love with me when I know you just want to go to sleep. You do nothing but make sure I feel like the first woman ever to conceive. And I love you for it.'

She leaned in, kissed him gently as she kept him as close as she could with the growing bump in the middle of them. Behind her, she turned off the stove. 'Come on. You need a lie down.'

Since he was too tired and worn out to argue, Esposito followed her upstairs to their bedroom, stripped down to his boxers while she stayed in her sweats. With a few tugs on the sheets, they were tucked into their bed, him spooned up behind her, his arm protectively draped over her belly. 'Mere, I have work to do tonight, Ryan's going to be here at nine with Beckett and Castle.'

Meredeth picked up his cellphone, set the alarm to eight-fifteen. 'You can rest until then. I think they'll understand.'

'But I have to-'

'An hour power-charge,' she replied in her no nonsense tone. Meredeth looked over her shoulder, saw it had gone right over his head, as he was already asleep.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	18. Painting, Pondering & Purchasing

'So fish, huh? That's the theme for your nursery?'

Ryan smiled as he looked around at the space they were about to paint. The last day off he and Esposito had had they'd spent it with Meredeth packing up her files and papers, moving boxes and things into the other guest bedroom, and breaking down her desk for storage to turn her rarely used home office into the baby's room. Now they'd take the next step in prepping the nursery - the paint job. By the time Meredeth and Lanie returned from shopping the walls would be primed and finished with a glossy Bora-Bora blue, waiting for Kristof to come and finish the job by with a border of bright tropical fish.

'We compromised on it. She wanted creatures of the deep, I wanted seaside so we bargained in the middle.'

Dave tilted his head side to side considered it. 'Good idea getting this done, though, before the snow hits, so you can leave the windows open.'

'Thanks for helping out.' Esposito wandered over to the two buckets of paint, gave one a shake. Given the state of the case they were on, he knew he should have been using his day off to go over case notes, prepare an agenda with Ryan for the next day, but who said multitasking was illegal? 'You don't mind if we go over case work while we're doing this, do you, bro?'

'Not at all, I heard about what happened. You gotta work while it's hot.'

'Knock-knock.' Lanie appeared at the doorway of the room, Carey bundled into his outerwear, his bright eyes blinking. 'Just wanted to come and say bye-bye. We're off to buy things.' Lanie held up Carey's hand, waved it at Dave. 'Say, bye-bye Daddy.'

Dave grinned, gave his fiancee and son kisses before they went downstairs, then turned back to the task at hand.

'He's getting big,' Ryan commented as they draped sheets over the newly acquired dresser and long counter in the nursery. 'How are his eyes?'

'Fine, pediatrician said there's no reason to be concerned about his vision. How's your boy doing?'

'Good, good, he's at preschool right now while Mommy's at work, and they've got the trained nurse there to give him his injections. Now, to business. Let's break it down for our boy here.'

Esposito pried up the lid of the can of primer, poured it into the paint tray. 'Angela Doran was Captain Mike Doran's daughter, he's in the Narc bureau over at the Twenty-Third Precinct. She was a reporter with _The Ledger_, real up-and-comer in the crime section.'

'She was a big advocate of advertising Tipsters, the hotline for cold cases,' Ryan added, passing Dave a roller-brush. 'Half the time they got cranks, but every once in a while someone would read one of her stories and they'd get some good information.'

'And she was found in an alley behind an ice-cream store?'

'It's a message, we don't know from who, but we know why.' Esposito rolled on the first stroke of primer to the wall. 'It's the same place Timo Ross was found.'

'I'm guessing he's like the Godfather or Keyzer Soze or something, the way you get all reverent talking about him.'

Ryan nodded, starting on his wall with the other roller. 'Timo Ross was one of those cops you always thought was indestructible. He started out at the Twenty-Third under Doran and then transferred when Mike found out his only daughter was crushing on him and Timo was reciprocating.'

'Why's that so bad?'

'She was seventeen and he was twenty-four.'

'Oh.' Dave ran a line of tape around the light-switch cavity, moved on to the door-frame. 'Yeah, I can see that making things sticky.'

'So before it got really out of hand, Timo moved to the Seventy-Second, and on Angela's eighteenth birthday, he took her out for their first date. They dated four years and living together when he died.' Esposito swallowed as he recounted the most heartbreaking part of the story. 'He'd gone to Milk-and-Honey to pick up a couple pints for her. Cellphone records showed her asking him to stop in since she had a craving for some ice cream and he'd talked to her just ten minutes before the corner's estimated time of death.'

'Did anyone check if she was pregnant?' Dave asked, tearing off the strip of tape.

'Weaver said she'd had sex within about two hours before she died, but she wasn't pregnant.'

'Not now, back then. Number one craving for pregnant women is ice cream. I could barely keep it in the house when Lanie was growing Carey.'

'What bearing would that have on his death?' When Dave fidgeted and blushed a little, Esposito paused as he dipped his roller into the paint again. 'Dave?'

'Just thinking. Timo was a narc cop, right, you said he was involved in a major take-down about eight months before he died. What if someone, like one of the kingpin's associates knew that and somehow got a clone of Angela's cell to lure him out of the way so they could give him the smackdown?'

'Call came from her land-line, but I like where you're going with that. What if someone in Julio's pocket knew that Angela was sending her man to the creamery and used the detour to get the drop on him?'

'Seems awfully thin, man.' Ryan scratched his chin and left behind traces of primer. 'Then again, worse crimes have been uncovered on a hell of a lot less. They got Berkowitz off a parking ticket and that psycho up in Canada, Pickton, he was served with a search warrant for illegal firearms, and the cops found the an inhaler of a missing woman which led to him being charged with twenty-six counts of first-degree murder.'

'So how would you play it out, Dave?' Esposito asked.

'Oh, hey, I ain't a writer like Castle-'

'And he's not here, so you'll have to pick up his chattering torch.'

Dave thought about it as he set down the tape, picked up a small brush to do the fine nook-and-cranny work. 'Timo's sent the kingpin upstate for a mandated vacation. Meanwhile there's still all that business and product to run, but thanks to the media hype, they know who's involved and dig up information on Angela. Not too hard to pose as a reporter looking for a story and in the right hand a little cash gets you a lot of information.' He sat down on the floor, attended to the lower corner of the room. 'Timo's made a lot of enemies in the drug scene who'd want him dead or out, so they have him tailed, watched in places he wouldn't think he'd be watched, like the bank or the dentist's. They see him, overhear him talking to Angela and learn of his detour. A quick cell call or text is all it takes. He goes to the creamery, leaves and gets snatched, gets dead.'

'That isn't half-bad, Dave.'

Esposito dropped his roller brush for a moment, stretched his arms and his back. 'I mean, there's no doubt Timo was targeted, there's no way some dumb purse snatcher or two-bit street thug would go after him without Timo putting up a fight, so it had to be someone he knew well enough to think it wasn't a threat.'

'Even the most seasoned cops keep their snitches at ten-foot poking distance.' Ryan looked up, a glint of sickness in his eye as he caught his partner's gaze. 'What if we're looking for another cop?'

'I thought of that too, but they went over the guys who'd stand to gain from Timo's death with hot coals. None seemed like they had strong enough motives for murder.'

'One of my first cases out of uniform, when I went into Homicide was during this nasty heat wave and we found a kid with a crack in his skull and a Popsicle wrapper in his pocket. Turns out his buddy didn't have the change to get a Popsicle himself and when his friend wouldn't share, he shoved him and killed him when he landed on the sidewalk.' Ryan shook his head as he remembered having to explain that one to the families. 'People always find a reason to kill someone else.'

'Like Meredeth will if we don't get this done.' Esposito could all but hear Ryan's eyes rolling in his head. 'And she left us pizza. All we have to do is pop it in the oven.'

'Well, why didn't you say so?' Ryan stroked on paint even faster. 'Dave, pick up the pace, then there's more time to eat.'

* * *

As the men painted in Chelsea, their ladies minus Honey-Milk were shopping in Turtle Bay; she had to work and Dell had gone with her to the preschool at the hospital. The first three stores they'd gone to were full of cute clothes that were way overpriced. They hit pay dirt with Tiny Angels, a place Lanie had discovered when Dave's mother and sister had taken her shopping. Lanie being a new mother herself and also a modest shopper had a great eye for bargains and was instrumental in helping Meredeth stock up on cute baby apparel. They'd barely been there forty minutes and Lanie had already gotten a basket loaded up for Meredeth and showed no signs of slowing down.

'Oh, Mere, isn't this just too precious!'

'It would get the Dell seal of approval, for sure.' Meredeth grinned at the romper Lanie held up with the dinosaurs all over it. 'God help us when that kid discovers _Jurassic Park_. There'll be no living with him.'

'I was keeping an eye on him for Jenny while she was at her own doctor's appointment and he was trying to get Carey to say 't-rex'. He wasn't quite understanding that Carey just babbles right now,' Lanie laughed as they cooed and sighed over the many adorable onsie selections; the clothing store was divided into thirds - boys, girls and unisex, which was the section the two women and Carey had zoomed in on right away. 'Have you talked to her, are they doing okay?'

'Yeah, so far so good. Dell's getting more used to the syringes each time he has to have one. Jenny said he even came up with his own name for them.'

'He gave us quite a scare on Hallowe'en, and not the fun kind.' Lanie gently eased the foot of a set of low-hanging footy-pjs out of Carey's grip; he was at that stage where understanding by inspection and touch was everything to him. 'Careful, honey. Mama only has so much room on her credit card if you get little Carey-prints on things.'

'Hola, hola!'

'Hi, hi!'

Lanie and Meredeth turned to see Lili and Rosie walking into the store in matching jeans and dark blue winter-coats. At eighteen months, Rosie had her mother's complexion and her father's bright green eyes, which twinkled with delight at seeing Meredeth. 'Tia Mere!'

'Hi there, chica!'

Rosie let go of her mother's hand, toddled over on unsteady legs and hugged Meredeth at the knees before turning her attention to Carey. She leaned over, arms out behind her and gave little Carey a peck on the cheek. 'Hi bumble. Dell giff?'

'Yes, we're going to get Dell his present. Javi told me what happened,' Lili said, scooping up her daughter so she wouldn't pester the five-month old, 'so we thought we'd get a little something for him, cheer him up.'

'Giff, giff,' Rosie added, wiggling on Lili's hip. 'Giff 'mile.'

'That's right Rosie, gifts make people smile.' Meredeth tickled her niece's tummy, then put a hand to her own. 'Oh. Oh, man.'

'What?' Lili and Lanie chorused. 'You havin' a Braxton-Hick?'

'No. Kick. A big one.' Meredeth massaged where she'd felt the bump, sat down on a near-by bench; the store had them everywhere for expectant mothers. 'Harvey said the baby's getting really big, going to be at least eight pounds from his estimate.'

'Wow. You might take the county fair blue ribbon away from my big boy,' Lanie commented, once again removing a set of pjs from Carey's reach, and decided to avoid disaster, moved him away from the clothes rack altogether. 'So far out of three babies born, he's the prize heifer.'

'Don't forget we've got Gil's baby coming soon, they've got about two weeks to go.' Lili stopped to look at a display of organic cotton cloth diapers. 'I bumped into Gil at the grocery store by the hospital and he said half the reason they planned a C-section for her is because the baby's going to clock in at like nine pounds, maybe even into double digits.'

Hearing that made Meredeth squeeze her legs a little tighter together. The whole concept of push-push childbirth for herself had been of some debate as she believed she had very low pain tolerance, though Esposito tended to think otherwise, but even scarier to her than that was the idea of being in a cold surgical room, sedated and hearing all the noises of those metallic instruments to cut her open. She admired her sister-in-law for the fact she'd been so brave when she could have lost Rosie, but even more for the fact she'd undergone an emergency C-section.

Shuddering and trying to put it out of her mind, she was easily distracted when she felt a little hand on the underside of her stomach. Meredeth look down, saw Rosie reaching up to pat her belly.

'Baby soon?'

'He or she still has to grow for a little while.'

'Oh.' Rosie's little brain tried to process this, but she gave up and passed Meredeth a onsie on a hanger. 'Pity?'

Meredeth sighed maternally over the onsie - plain white with caterpillars inching across the chest. 'Yes, Rosie it's very pretty. Can you put it in the basket for me?'

Rosie nodded with a toothy grin and with the flourish of a toddler dropped the onsie into the basket beside Meredeth. 'Del giff?'

'No, these are for when my baby gets here.'

'Baby soon?'

'Yes, soon.' Meredeth had to laugh a little, then bending a little - bending over was getting trickier now - picked Rosie up and set her on her knee. 'What's a good name for a baby?'

'Wosie!'

'That's your name. Can you think of any other names?'

'Dell!'

'I think someone has a crush on Dell,' Lili teased, scooping Rosie off Meredeth's lap. 'Were you helping Tia Merry shop?'

'Pity.'

'She got me a caterpillar onsie for the baby.' Meredeth held it up and showed it to Lili, who made the appropriate noises over Rosie's good taste before it was put in the basket with the other choices. 'And I'm going to go pay for all of these before I go over budget.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	19. Healthy Body, Happy Mom: 19 Weeks

On a grey Thursday afternoon, Meredeth and Esposito stopped outside the Thirty-Thirty Tea Time coffee shop and Meredeth paused only a second before her husband opened the door and they walked in, scanning the narrow but friendly restaurant for Joel Kennedy. Meredeth spotted him almost instantly, surprised she was able to pick him out having only met him the once. He was slimmer than when they'd met, was her first thought. Joel had been a husky fellow and it looked like he'd trimmed down twenty pounds in the the last year or two. But the eyes were still the same, laser blue like her own. Their father had had dark blue eyes, she recalled, bringing up a mental picture of Ted Addison.

Joel was wearing a thick hunter green sweater and reading glasses, sat hunched over a steaming mug of something while reading; he did a double take when he glanced up, closed his book. He looked as unsure as Meredeth felt, but he stood up, shook Esposito's hand before giving Meredeth an awkward hug.

'Hi. I'm glad you could make it, I know you must be busy with getting ready for the baby,' Joel said, sitting back down and signaling for the waitress. 'You want something to drink?'

'Any kind of decaf tea.' Meredeth held out her arms at her sides, and Esposito automatically helped her out of her coat. She took a seat, glad when Esposito slid into the booth beside her. With a hand resting on her husband's leg, Meredeth spoke quietly. 'I'm glad you agreed to see me, Joel, I know it can't be easy for you.'

'Or you. You said in your email, you wanted to know about his medical history?' Joel asked, scratching his ear.

'Yes. We're having a baby at the beginning of April, and we go for the amniocentesis in January, so we'd like to have an idea of any kind of health history we could on...Ted.' Meredeth felt a little awkward to call him Mr Addison, as it was too formal, but neither could she be comfortable calling him Dad either; he'd made her with her mother, but it took more than just some biological building blocks to make a parent.

Picking up the conversation, Esposito tapped his fingers lightly on the table. 'You mentioned in your statement to me after we'd found him, that Ted had liver cancer and was diabetic. Is that a common history in your family?'

'No, no. The medication he was taking screwed with his entire body and as a result, he became diabetic because of his weight gain from those pills. His eyesight went a little shaky too, though the doctors all said that was because of the other drugs he was on as well.'

'What about other things like breast cancer, colon cancer, MS, heart disease, bad bones?'

'The only person I can think of who had any issues like that in Dad's family was his oldest brother Will, but he ate so much red meat, he smoked, drank like a fish so his heart disease was self-inflicted and he had a heart-attack on a fishing trip when he was sixty-two. The Addisons are a sturdy bunch.'

Meredeth breathed a sigh of relief as her tea and Esposito's coffee was served; the picture she saw was a man, a soldier, who'd been in good health until he'd been dealt a shitty hand and it was only when he'd been diagnosed with cancer that he'd acquired the other problems as hard-hitting side-effects of his treatment drugs. The weight of going through what she'd seen Honey-Milk and Ryan go through with Dell and having to put him on syringe medication for diabetes was lifted.

It didn't stay that way for long when Joel added, 'I talked to my grandmother, though, after I got your email, this is my dad's mother, and she said that all the Addison babies, girls and boys, were big turkeys.'

'How big is big?' Esposito asked, sensing Meredeth tensing him beside him.

'Well, there was six of them, two girls, four boys and my Nan told me that of them all the smallest was his older sister Monica and she was eight pounds, four ounces.'

Meredeth swallowed. 'And where did the biggest fall on the scale?'

'That'd be my uncle Will and he was twelve pounds two ounces. All natural births, too. Nan never had a C-section.'

'You weren't kidding about that Addison thing being a sturdy bunch,' Esposito commented calmly, though inside he was anything but. What if Meredeth's weight gain was all baby? She was planning a drug-addled pushing birth, but now, there was the possibility of having to change that. Or worse, Meredeth might have to have an episiotomy; he'd gotten to the chapter in the baby books all about the birthing methods themselves and he'd felt his balls draw upwards and stay there for a moment or two when he'd read just what the hell those things were. As he'd be in the birthing room with her every step of the way, he knew he'd have to witness Meredeth in pain but at least it would be numbed; the idea of her being cut open in any way made him want to reach for his service weapon and draw a bead on whoever touched the scalpel to do so.

'Well...' Joel trailed off awkwardly, looked at his hands. He wished it wasn't so cumbersome to try and strike up conversation with the woman who technically was family, yet he understood her need to be distant. ' I have a study group I should be getting too.'

'Of course.' Knowing their time was at an end, all three stood up, walked towards the door of the coffee shop. Once outside in the brisk November air, Meredeth offered him a gloved hand, which Joel took. 'Thanks again for meeting with me.'

'Any time you need it, you know how to reach me. Take care of yourself, and...my niece,' he added, a smile ghosting at the corners of his mouth.

Esposito counted a full ten seconds after watching Joel head north while they crossed at the lights and went west to the subway. 'Okay, let it out.'

'Eight pounds? Eight pounds? That's almost a bag of potatoes!'

'It's a small bird, you cook a bigger turkey at Christmas.'

'It's the size of a chihuahua!'

They debated the size of the baby, as both Lili and Esposito had been smaller when they'd popped out - six-fourteen and seven-four respectively - all the way back to Chelsea, where they were greeted by a dog in need of a trip to the curb and a ringing phone.

'You get the phone, I'll take care of the pup,' Esposito said, clipping a leash to the collar of a whining Arturo.

Meredeth, picked up the house line. 'Hello.'

'Oh, you're home.'

'Just barely,' she replied, glad to hear some cheerfulness in Honey-Milk's voice. 'What's up?'

'I got called in to work and Ryan's out of town with his sister so can Dell sleepover with you and Javier?'

'Oh, ah, sure. We didn't have any plans as far as I know.' Meredeth went to the fridge, pulled out the milk jug. 'What about his medication and that?'

'I've got him packed and ready to go, so I'll be over there to show you how to do it in about half an hour, or so, okay?'

'Sure. See you soon.'

Meredeth hung up the phone, bounced the cordless receiver in her palm. This was going to be quite the night, she mused, as the front door open and their best of a dog lumbered into the kitchen, followed by her husband.

'We didn't have any plans tonight, did we?' she asked him.

'Unless you count catching up on sleep before I'm on shift tomorrow at seven am, why?'

'Jenny called and is bringing Dell over to stay the night. She got called in for the night shift and Ryan's at his sister's place, so it's you and me being crash-test dummies for Dino-Dell.'

To her surprise, Esposito simply shrugged and snagged the milk from her, began to fill the metal pitcher to brew himself a latte. 'Sounds good, so long as she shows us how to do his syringes.'

As Honey-Milk was the very-punctual sort when work and her son was concerned, precisely twenty-eight minutes after she'd hung up from Meredeth, there was a knock on the townhouse door. The mother-to-be opened it, saw Honey-Milk holding Dell's hand while adjust about sixteen bags in the other.

'Hey, Mere, thanks so much for this,' Honey-Milk said in a rush. 'Normally I wouldn't ask but the preschool closes at ten and they want me eight to six, and-'

'Jenn, it's fine.' Meredeth held out her arms for her godson, and he raced right into them, lightly bopping her with his stuffed t-rex as he did so. 'How are you feeling today, big guy?'

'Soo-gar mon'ter not get me.' Dell proved he was just as stubborn as everyone believed him to be when he put a little game-face on, then held out his t-rex for Meredeth's inspection. 'Rex have good ouchies too.'

Her heart melted a little as she saw the green band-aid wrapped around the claw of the ridiculously cute toy. 'Does rex want a kiss to make it better?' When Dell nodded vigorously, Meredeth pressed her lips to the dino's band-aid.

Honey-Milk smiled, and behind her friend, she saw Esposito leaning against the door frame, a little sparkle in his eye as he watched his baby mama with Dell. He would be an excellent father, she knew, which was why she liked leaving her son with her husband's partner when she could. She dropped her bags to the floor, lining them up as she spoke.

'This is toys and clothes, and in here is his insulin kit.' Honey-Milk pulled out something akin to a portable hard-drive case. 'Dell's very good about the syringe itself, it's the finger pricks that make him a little fussy, because he sees the blood, so I'll show you how to go about doing it with no tears.'

'Good ouchies,' Dell declared, having learned the word 'insulin' now meant 'bad sugar' in his two and a half year old mind. He tapped his finger at the case in his mother's hand. 'Time for ouchies?'

'Yes, sweetie, it's time for ouchies.'

Zipping off his coat and her own, Honey-Milk passed the kit to Meredeth and went into the kitchen where she parked the toddler butt-first on the table. She unzipped the case and opened it so she could let the babysitters see how comfortable Dell was with this new facet of his life. 'Dell what's this?' she asked him, holding up the finger-tack.

'Kee-to bite.'

'That's right it's just like a little mosquito bite, and what does a dinosaur do when he gets bit by a mosquito?'

On cue, Dell let out a little roar as Honey-Milk pricked his little finger-pad and squeezed a well of blood up to the surface. 'Now what?'

'Paint-check.'

'Very good, we finger paint-' Honey-Milk help Dell smear the blood onto a test strip, then popped it into the One-Touch meter, 'and we check it. So his reading right now is at about four point six and we want it to be at six, and the One-Touch tells us we need this dose.' She pointed to the little read out on the digital screen, then picked up the syringe, which in Esposito's mind looked more like a pen. 'Dell what's this?'

'Ringe. Good ouchie. Make mon'ter 'tay away.'

'Exactly.' Honey-Milk watched him tug at his shirt sleeve. 'Some people say you should use the fleshy part of the thigh, but this little one does better with a shoulder-shot. This syringe uses screw-off sharps,' she continued, fastening a capped sharp to the end of the dosing pen,' and has a digital meter, so you set the meter for the dose and it will automatically shut off once it reaches the dose.'

'Wow, that's some wicked technology,' Meredeth observed, watching closely to make sure she wouldn't mess it up and kill her friend's baby. 'It's come along ways, hasn't it?'

'Indeed it has, and it's made the adjustment for Dell much easier.' Honey-Milk pinched the flesh on Dell's arm, spoke to him. 'What does the t in t-rex stand for Dell?'

'Ran-no-saw-us,' Dell recited dutifully, so distracted by getting the word right, he only let out a little 'ouch, Mama!' when he felt the small pinch of the needle.

'And how many fingers to you have? Show Auntie Merry and Uncle Javi how you can count.'

'One-two-tee-four-five!' he said proudly, holding up a finger for each word. 'Done, Mama? Geen ban-aid?'

'Yes we're all done, and you can have a green band-aid.' Honey-Milk wrapped the little neon strip around his finger, helped him off the table as Dell explained, 'I big boy, no tears.'

Meredeth nodded somberly, though her eyes were dancing. 'Being brave deserves an reward.'

'You take your rex into the living room, I need to talk to the grown-ups, okay?' Honey-Milked watched him plunk himself on the floor near Arturo, making his t-rex stalk along the coffee table. 'He only gets the green band-aid for his finger if he doesn't cry and if he cries, it's a plain one. It sounds like I'm training him like a pet, but he'll be doing this every day of his life and he'll have to learn to self inject when he starts school, so this way, he learns to stop crying about it.'

'I think it's a great idea,' Esposito said as they walked into the living room, where Meredeth sat on the couch; almost immediately, Dell came over and parked his insulined behind next to Meredeth and rubbed her tummy. 'That way, he just accepts and doesn't feel sorry for himself.'

'Kevin was the one who came up with that idea, like a points system. He said it was what his mother did when his sister had to learn to use finger-pricks.' She watched as her son, healthy and happy once again, tried to suck up to Meredeth for a special treat.

'Baby like Lego man?' he asked hopefully, using his bright blue eyes to his full advantage.

'Yes, baby likes Lego man.'

'Yea!'

Honey-Milk smiled. 'Okay Mommy has to go to work, big fella. Gimme a kiss.'

Dell leaned over the back of the couch, gave her a kiss and never looked back when she walked out the door, as he'd focused his attention where it was needed - the belly. Meredeth's heart melted for what felt like the millionth time since he'd arrived and he put his hand on her stomach.

'I here. My baby 'tay safe. Lego man, Javi?' he asked again; when Esposito nodded Dell grinned and, to both Esposito and Meredeth's surprise, began humming the Raider's March to her belly.

'You know,' Esposito pondered, 'I think Honey-Milk's theory just might be true.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	20. The Sleepover

An hour and a half later, Esposito had escaped the Nepalese Himalayas in the Lego Indiana Jones game on Meredeth's Wii when his watch timer went off. He paused the game, glanced over to where Meredeth had pillowed her head so she was dozing upright on the couch; Dell had pillowed his head on Meredeth's lap to be near 'his baby' while watching 'Lego man'. The kid was so proprietary of the little one inside Meredeth, he thought with a laugh, he really was starting to think Honey-Milk's theory had some real weight.

'Dell,' he said in a soft voice, setting aside his Wii remote. 'Time for your good ouchies.'

'No.'

'No choice, big guy.'

'Mama do it.'

'Mama's at work, but I'm here, and so's Auntie Merry.'

Dell pouted a little in consideration. 'Merry do it?'

'Auntie Merry's asleep, and so's the baby.'

'Merry do it.'

Relenting, knowing there was only one way to get this done, Esposito stood up and went to his wife. He brushed the loose strands of caramel hair from her cheek and kissed her gently. 'Wake up, Merry Cherry.'

Meredeth grunted a little, then popped her eyes open to see Esposito staring down at her. 'What is it? What happened?'

'Dell needs his shot.'

'Then give him his shot.'

'He'll only do it if you give him the shot.'

'Oh.' Meredeth looked down, saw Dell squirming on her lap. 'Dell, time for good ouchies.'

'Merry do it?'

'Yes.'

'O-kay.' Dell shoved himself off of the couch, toddled into the kitchen while in the living room Esposito tugged Meredeth to her feet, resting his hand on her bump. Under the skin, the baby did a slow kick against his hand.

'Our godson asked for you,' he told her, his hands on her shoulders as they followed their young charge.

'I hope I don't kill him.' Meredeth's inside were shaking but she boosted Dell onto the table, put his toy t-rex beside him. With a bracing breath she unzipped Dell's insulin case, picked up the sterilized finger-tack. 'What's this?'

'Kee-to bite.' Dell knew what came next and held out his little index finger for Meredeth to prick it. 'Rawr!' he said loudly when Meredeth snapped the tack down, but he didn't cry.

'Good boy, now paint check, right?'

'Yes.'

Meredeth took out the fresh strip and Dell smudged his finger against it; wanting to help, Esposito turned on the One-Touch and fed the strip in, set the dose of his insulin. 'Five-point-one. Good job, you'll only need a small dose, big boy.'

'Big boy. No tears.'

'Now, Dell,' Meredeth said, tugging his arm out of his shirt to expose his shoulder and swab it with the sterile alcohol pad, 'we're going to learn a new word tonight. Can you say brontosaurus?' She pinched up his skin. 'Try it with me. Brontosaurus.'

'Bon-ah-saw-us. Ouch!' Dell winced, drawing his eyebrows together when he felt the needle slide into his skin but his eyes stayed dry.

'And Mommy said you can count to five.' Meredeth mimicked Honey-Milk's question as she hit the plunger on the insulin pen. 'Show me how you do it.'

'One-two-tee-four-five.' Just like before, he held up his fingers and by the time he reached five, Meredeth slipped the needle out; she passed it to Esposito to dispose of the sharp on the end. 'Ban-aid?'

'Yes you get the green one.' Meredeth adjusted his shirt, then wrapped the green band-aid around his finger, gave it a little kiss when she was done. 'And now it's time for pyjamas.'

'No.'

'I disagree, young man.'

'Rex moosh firs'. He no tears.'

'Oh, well then.' Meredeth made a show of giving the stuffed animal's band-aid wrapped claw a kiss too. 'That better?'

'Yes. Jamas and too-bush.'

Dell stretched out his arms to Esposito, making sure to clutch his toy in his hand and the two men went upstairs to change into their pyjamas. Knowing his wife needed a minute to herself, having been pushed way beyond her comfort zone, Esposito carried Dell upstairs to the guest room with the large bed he knew would be perfectly safe for the toddler. He sat him down on the edge of the bed while he dug out the disposable overnight underpants - Ryan and Honey-Milk had started just after Thanksgiving starting the potty-training process - and his warm looking pjs, bright red and covered in dinosaurs, natch.

'Jamas?' Dell asked, lifting up the hem of his shirt, which Esposito continued to help him with getting changed.

'Yes, you're putting them on and no arguing, no bargaining.'

'You jamas?'

'Not yet, my bedtime is later.'

'Why?'

'Because I'm bigger and want to spend time with Auntie Merry.'

'Me too.' But even as he protested, Dell yawned hugely, smacked his lips together. He understood sometimes Mommy went away overnight but it felt funny not to have his daddy there. One of them was always there. 'Wan' Daddy sing.'

'He's visiting your Auntie Kelsey, but we'll see if he answers his phone.' When he'd gotten the boy down to his diaper, Esposito swallowed a little and carefully unpinned it, braced for any surprises. He'd been a cop for many years but he also knew that even a Marine could be grossed out by the contents of a child's diaper; hell, he had it on video the way he'd seen Cam wince and pick at changing Rosie's bottom and Cam had done three tours of duty. Thankfully, it was just a little wet, nothing else, making Esposito a little relieved when he helped the boy into his training pants.

'I no wet, no 'tink.'

'I see that. One foot in, there we go.' Esposito hitched the flannel pj bottoms over his tiny hips, then tugged the t-shirt over his head. 'There's the big guy.'

'Lego man?'

'No, you've had enough for tonight.'

'Lego man,' Dell repeated, getting that same stubborn look in his eye as Esposito folded up his daytime clothes, put them back in the bag he'd pulled the pjs out of. 'Puh-lease?'

'Sorry, little bro. It's almost bedtime.'

'Wan' Daddy sing.'

'We'll see what we can do. In the mean time we're going to go downstairs and say night-night to Auntie Merry.'

'And my baby.'

'Yes, and your baby.'

Esposito's instinct was to pick him up, but Dell insisted on walking; when they reached the stairs, he held Esposito index and middle fingers with an iron grip as he sat on his rump and bumped bum-first down the stairs until he reached the second last one. He proudly stood up and stepped down on his feet.

'I care-ful,' he said in such a declarative way, for a moment Esposito thought it could have been a toddler-sized version of his partner that walked down the remaining two stairs and into the kitchen with Esposito behind him. 'Merry? Baby?'

'They're kind of a package deal right now, buddy,' Esposito laughed, then saw Meredeth at the kitchen table, typing on her laptop and drinking tea. 'Someone wanted to come and say goodnight.'

'Night, night baby.' Dell wandered over on his sturdy legs, and bracing his palms on Meredeth's thigh kissed the bump, then backed away like he'd been hit. 'Baby ouchie,' he giggled, rubbing his nose.

'He or she is very much awake right now. But I do know someone wanted to say goodnight to you.' She picked up the house-line, spoke to Esposito. 'Honey-Milk texted me, said she called Kevin and explained Dell was with us,' she said, dialing and waiting for the line to pick up. 'Hey Detective, how's the fam? Excellent, well, there's a little gentleman here who wants to say goodnight.'

Meredeth held the phone to Dell's ear and smiled when he steadied it along with her hand. 'Hi Daddy. You home? Home soon? Big moosh. Mwah. Love you.'

Dell released the receiver and went back to Esposito, tugged on his pants leg. 'Night-night time.'

'Okay.'

This time Esposito did pick him up, and carried him up the stairs to his temporary bed; he was already half-asleep by the time he did so. 'Do you want the night-light on?'

'No. I Bat-man.'

Understanding him perfectly, Esposito tucked his toy t-rex in beside him and tugged the sheets up around his little body. Then, because he couldn't fight the urge, gave the toddler a little kiss on the temple. 'Sleep tight, Delaney,' he murmured as he shut off the overhead light.

He straightened, and left the door open halfway, heading back downstairs to find Meredeth had gone from the kitchen to the couch. She'd tidied up the Wii game and was watching a rerun of _Iron Chef America_ on the Food Network, stretched out mostly on her back. Despite the belly pop and that she was now looking way pregnant despite being only halfway there, he managed to somehow stretch out with her taking up most of the couch.

'Little guy's down for the count. What about this one?' he asked, rubbing his hand over his unborn child.

'Awake and doing jujitsu on my spleen, I think.' Meredeth shifted around a little. 'He or she will settle in for the night soon, I hope. Mama's hormones are still going a little bonkers and she'd appreciate no interruptions this time,' she told her bump.

Esposito snickered, remembering the warning he'd gotten from Ryan and from Castle that they'd more than likely feel the baby kicking and moving around in the post-glow of pregnancy sex due to the mother's heart-rate being elevated. He hadn't wanted to say it to their faces that he thought they were full of shit and having him on, but he discovered it was nothing but the truth when he was running his hands over Meredeth's stomach when they'd finished and he'd felt the distinct outline of a foot on his palm.

'Well, if we're going to do that, we should go upstairs so we can keep a watch on our young guest and still have some fun of our own.'

'I know there's a joke about responsible parenting in there somewhere,' Meredeth commented as he helped her to her feet, 'but I'm too horny to really care at the moment.'

* * *

'Javi?'

'Huh?'

'Javi? No jamas?'

Esposito blinked at the feel of tiny fingers on his back, rolled over on his side of the bed to see Dell with his t-rex in one hand and the other on the bed sheets. The sight of the toddler at his bedside made him realized not only was he very naked but so was Meredeth; they'd fallen asleep after very sweet, unusually muted lovemaking, keeping their voices down on purpose in case they needed to hear Dell. With one hand wrapping the sheets around his body, Esposito sat up, put his feet on the floor. 'What are you doing up?'

'No 'nooze. Deams.'

'Oh, I see.' Fumbling around, Esposito reached under the bed and found a pair of boxers; with the dark acting as a mask, he tugged them on quickly. The move had Meredeth stirring, which didn't surprise him. She woke up when a light breezed ruffled a Kleenex these days - a far cry from her being able to sleep through an artillery advancement parade through their bedroom in the days following her final hypnosis treatments - thanks to the little one inside her.

'Javi-'

He pressed his hand between her shoulder blades, to keep her from sitting up and unintentionally giving Dell his first look at breasts not belonging to his mother. 'It's okay, Mere, just go back to sleep,' he murmured, then took Dell by the hand to lead him back to his guest room. Making sure the boy would stay put, Esposito climbed in beside him, to help him get back to sleep.

'Want 'tay baby.'

'Not right now. Auntie Merry needs her sleep.' And her clothes, he added silently. 'It takes a lot of energy to grow a baby inside and

'How make baby?'

Oh Jesus. He wasn't prepared to have this conversation for his own child in a few years, nevermind with a drowsy two and a half year old. Esposito thought of the old 'when a mommy and daddy love each other very much...' routine, but somehow it didn't fit with Dell; he was saved a little embarrassment when Dell, because he was two and a half, moved on to another question.

'What baby name?'

'We haven't thought of one yet.'

'I Thomas Del-a-ney Wy-an,' he said with sleepy pride. 'Joo-ly se-ven-teen.'

'Yep that's you, you were born July seventeen.'

'Javi day?'

'Mine is April twenty-four.'

'A-pil tenny-four,' Dell repeated. 'Baby day?'

'We don't know that either.'

'Nooze now,' he mumbled and within a few minutes was back to sleep, sighing dreamily.

Esposito waited about ten minutes before sliding out from beside the boy, went back to his own bed as noiselessly as possible but to no avail. Meredeth rolled over to her back, the sheets up around her collarbone as she tried to focus on him in the black of night.

'What's going on?' she whispered, feeling him slip back out of his underwear to lay naked with her.

'Dell had a bad dream and woke up, came in here for a little comfort. I helped him back to bed.'

'Oh. What time is it?'

Esposito craned his neck to look at the table clock. 'About quarter after one.' He rolled her back to her side, spooned in close to her body. 'Go back to sleep,' he murmured, stroking her belly in a soothing way.

* * *

The next sensation Meredeth had was the weight of the bed changing and knew Esposito was getting up for work, and vaguely she thought about getting up with him until she felt his hand stroking her hair.

'Mere?'

'Uhwhuh?'

'Honey-Milk's here, she just picked up Dell.'

'Oh.' A little more awake to hear this news, Meredeth nodded. 'Okay. You're all set for work? You got your lunch?'

Esposito chuckled; she'd packed it for him the night before. 'Yes dear. Gimme one for good luck.'

She puckered up her lips and felt him brush against her mouth. 'Love you, Javi. See you tonight, babe.'

'Love you too Mere. I'll be home around seven thirty, I hope, and then it's poker night.'

'Yea.' She smiled when she felt the little pressure on her belly.

'Love you too, baby.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	21. MiniMazzara

'Tell me my son isn't sharing my nightmares.'

Esposito looked up from his computer on the affidavit for a warrant for the bank search; though it was just past nine, since it was Friday he said an extra prayer it would go through before the end of the day. 'The say-who now?'

'Dell tells me when I got in yesterday that when he stayed at your house, you didn't wear any pjs to bed.'

'Oh.' Esposito paused, chuckled a little at Ryan's concern. 'I'd fallen asleep with Mere after we'd, you know, and didn't put any clothes back on.' The gravity of what he'd just said made Esposito realize very much he was in the bullpen at work and he flushed a little. 'I wasn't expecting to be woken up by my house guest.'

'He's been dreaming a lot since going on the insulin. Guess Jenn didn't mention that, huh?'

'No. But if it helps, it was pitch black.'

'It does. Last thing I need is to explain the birds and the bees to my not-yet three-year-old.' The matter resolved, Ryan pulled up his chair beside his partner, leaned over his shoulder to inspect the screen. 'You're still on the bank thing?'

'Think I've got something with it, and that might link in Cerise and Miss Poppy.'

All ears, Ryan put his personal life into a little brain box. 'What are you on to?'

'Deposit boxes.' Esposito started typing again. 'What didn't we find when we searched Angela's computer and her home office? Her journals. All her friends said she was a prolific writer even in her off time and she had a huge library of digital and handwritten journals. So where are they?'

'Some place a journalist would keep them safe,' Ryan agreed, seeing where he connected the dots. 'Especially her archives. But we did a bank run, we didn't find anything in her name, and neither Mike nor Christine said she accessed their family one.'

'Right. But what if there was a spousal box?'

'She wasn't married though.'

'Just go with me. Meredeth said after her mother died, bills kept coming in Freja's name for another five, six years. So I pulled some info on Timo's case; he kept a lock-box at Vanderbrinks, and Angela stayed on as a signatory after he died. I re-ran the financials and it turns out she had a renewal fee there two weeks before she died.'

'If you want to hide something, another name's one of the oldest plays in the book. But the question is, why would she want to hide personal journals? I get female privacy and all, but no record of it on her computer or hand written papers in her house, all squirreled away in a safety-deposit in another person's name? She must either be the most paranoid journalist in the history of the universe or-'

'Or she found something.' Esposito paused to take a drink of the smoothie that Meredeth had packed with him that morning. Every so often it made him feel like a little boy, but the stress of not having to worry about feeding himself when he was on a hot case because she had his back - or his stomach, as it were - was glorious as gold. 'Something like tracks on that very cold trail.'

'Shoot it to Laurence Turner. He's really good about cold case warrants,' Ryan advised, then rolled away in his chair to his own desk. He knew what it would mean to his partner to close Timo Ross' case after so long.

They worked in near silence, an occasional grunt or syllable passing for conversation, and were so deep inside their own head-space they jumped like a bomb had gone off when Esposito's desk phone rang. After he was certain his heart was beating again, Esposito picked up the receiver.

'Esposito.'

'Detective?'

The voice was young and male, but it wasn't Dell; it was too mature for the precocious toddler. 'Yes? Can I help you?'

'It's TJ Kelley. Are your detective friends there? Dad and I have big news!'

Esposito's heart melted a little when he realized 'Dad' meant Gil; they'd come so far for TJ to call him that, and he knew it meant the world to his friend. Then he had a look at his desk calendar and realized the date. 'Sure, bro. Just give me a moment.'

He put the call on hold, and as luck would have it, Beckett and Castle were walking out of the captain's office with Montgomery himself. Waving them over, he threw a paper ball at Ryan to get his attention. 'TJ Kelley's on the phone with Gil, and they have news,' he told them all when they gathered, then put the call on speaker phone. 'Alright, TJ, we're all here and you're on speaker phone. What's the story?'

'I'm a big brother! I have a little sister!'

They all gave him a cheer and in the background they could hear Gil laughing at his adoptive son. 'What's her name?' Beckett asked, leaning a hip on the edge of Esposito's desk.

'Kelley. Kelley Gillaine Mazzara. And she's big!'

The astonishment in the eight-year-old's voice had Esposito thinking of Meredeth, of the birth plan they had loosely arranged and the conversation with Joel. 'How big is big?'

'Nine pounds eight ounces. Dad said she's a bowling ball and it was good the doctors cut her out because the other way would have hurt Mom way too much.'

'Agreed.' Ryan thought of the cries of pain his Honey-Milk had spouted when she'd given birth to Dell and he'd been a little gaffer, a few ounces shy of seven pounds. He couldn't imagine any woman, drugged or otherwise, pushing a baby that large out of her body and not sound like she was a victim of the Jigsaw killer. 'How is your mom doing?'

There was a slight shuffling on the line and Gil's slightly nasal voice came on, and the group in the precinct agreed that they hoped he was wearing heavy shoes, as he sounded like he was going to float away on a happy cloud.

'My girl had a girl!'

'We heard that, Detective, congrats,' Montgomery laughed. 'How are mom and baby?'

'Robina's just about to come out of recovery and they took Kelley to the nursery to make sure she was okay, because she had the chord around her neck. But she's breathing fine and she's got Robina's eyes and her nose matches TJ's, and she got Daddy's goofy-lookin' ears.'

'She sounds like a beauty,' Ryan chipped in.

'We gotta run, but we had to share the news. I already let TJ call Meredeth, Javi,' Gil added, 'and she's going to call the other ladies not at the precinct. We're at George Washington Memorial, if you're thinking you're going to visit.'

'Sounds great man. We'll see you as soon as we can.'

The phone line went dead and they all sent each other smiles, while Ryan looked around in confusion. 'Hey, where'd Castle go?'

'Right behind you, with gifts courtesy of Brewster.'

The writer had appeared with five freshly-brewed lattes, resting on a tray he'd unearthed from somewhere and was passing them around. 'We need a little toast for the newest member of the Twelfth Precinct's next generation. To Gil and Robina and TJ, and little Kelley, here's to a safe and healthy arrival.'

They all clinked mugs and sipped the steaming milky coffee; because Ryan's was too hot for his taste, he added on, 'And to Javi Esposito, the next one to add to the club,' making them all clink mugs a second time and let the business of murder be paused for a few minutes to celebrate life.

* * *

Riding high on a good work day - his warrant would go through the moment the bank opened on Monday morning, which was more than Esposito had dreamed of when he'd drafted the request - he met Meredeth outside Build-A-Bear at quarter to seven. As he came up the stairs of the subway, he stopped and admired her for a moment. She was blooming like a Danish rose, he thought with a warm liquid rush, her belly popped out between the folds of her winter coat and her cheeks round and ruddy as harvest apples. She'd sighed once or twice over the chipmunk look she'd acquired, but didn't stay in a funk; how could she when he pressed raspberries to her cheeks and made her giggle outrageously.

She saw him approach and grinned at him with such love, Esposito was surprised his heart just didn't leap out of his chest and land at her feet. He caught her up in a head-spinning kiss.

'I love you, Mere.'

'I love you too, Javi.' She grinned, felt the baby do a slow turn inside. 'Someone's waking up for dinner.'

'We'll eat soon, I promise, but oh, man, Mere, I' m so-' Esposito pressed his lips to hers once again, grinned foolishly. 'I think I'm on to something with the Angela case that'll help us figure out who killed her and why, and my woman couldn't look any more beautiful if you dipped her in gold and Gil's a daddy.'

Meredeth laughed, it had been a while since she'd seen him so giddy; she knew the Cerise and Miss Poppy and especially the Angela Doran cases had taken a toll on him, but she knew underneath all the fatigue and the sadness of it, he was still the same sweet charming man she'd fallen in love with and to see him so giddy and carefree, much like he'd been when she'd told him she was pregnant, or when they'd stayed up feeling the baby kick inside for the first time.

'Today's a great day, then, Detective, so let's build the new baby a bear and we can go visit sooner, to get home and celebrate sooner.'

Esposito's blood thrummed as he caught the look on her face. 'I like the sound of that.'

They went inside and decided on one of the mini-bears, a gorgeous Coconut Cub they stuffed to be cuddly and plushy but enough so that it would sit upright on a shelf as a treasured memento of childhood when the time was right, and added a little Yankees pennant in the bag. Because it was for a friend's gift, Meredeth had no problem holding onto it.

When they got to the hospital, they were shown to the maternity wing; on the elevator ride up, a very familiar face hopped on at the third floor.

'Hey you two!' Cam's smile was brilliant and wide, and though it shamed Meredeth to admit it, seeing him without his lacquered-bamboo walking stick made her feel uneasy. Cam had three legs thanks to his war injury and that was always how she pictured him. But his custom orthopedic work shoes were a necessity for him to be doing his job properly, so she let it slip from her mind. Instead she focused on his scrubs, as they were quite the treat for the eyes - neon green with zig-zags in a shade that could only be described as 'screaming-Jesus yellow and purple'.

'Nice threads, Lieutenant,' she commented dryly, which only made him grin wider.

'I had a little wager with Gil going if it was a girl I'd wearing the most outrageous clothes possible because I was dead convinced even when I watched them pull Kelley from the incision she was a boy.'

'You were in the delivery room?'

Cam nodded as the elevator stopped for their floor. 'Yessir, part of my in-service for my obstetric nursing fellowship. Here we are.'

They stopped in the same wing as when Lili had been there to have Rosie, incidentally they were just a few doors down from her old room, and walked in quietly, to see Robina sitting up with the baby in her arms and Gil watching over them proudly while TJ napped in the chair.

'Gil.' Cam used the stage whisper favoured in hospitals and the handsome Italian's face glowed bright as a moon when he looked up, straightened as he saw Esposito and Meredeth. 'Found these two stragglers on the elevator.'

Meredeth pressed a hand to her heart as she saw Robina's face, tired but deliriously happy, her long ash blonde hair tied back off the nape of her neck. Her grey eyes were sparkling, but that could have also been the drugs.

'Mere, I'm a mom again,' she said with a wide grin. 'A little princess to go with my two princes.'

'Can I hold her?'

Robina nodded, and gently passed the bundle to her friend; Meredeth adjusted her arms and looked down at the baby who was dozing lightly. She was a beauty, no question, and nose did indeed match her brother's. Her head was coated in a light sandy fuzzy, and her ears did indeed look like Gil's. 'She's just gorgeous, Robina,' Meredeth sighed, stroking a fingertip over her brow before passing her back to the new-again mother. 'Congrats to you both.'

'Issat Meredeth?' TJ slurred, stretching upwards from his spot on the chair. He unfolded his just-going-gangly legs and stood proudly beside his mother and new sister. 'This is my little sister, Kelley. Kelley this Meredeth and Javier Esposito, and if it weren't for them, you might not be here,' he whispered, then laid his lips gently on Kelley's cheek. 'And you wouldn't have the best mom and dad in the world.'

Esposito looked over at Gil, who'd been admiring the scene from his chair, clearly fatigued but over the moon. He recognized the scenes of sleep deprivation, and let his own mama-to-be visit with her friend while the new daddy was treated to a coffee. They found a pot in the floor's lounge and though it resembled a tar-motor oil hybrid, it was chock full of caffeinated goodness. Esposito doubled up on the cream and sugar and tapped the paper cup against Gil's. 'Congrats, bro. Great job on that, she's just beautiful.'

'You know, it's weird, when we were first telling people Robina was pregnant, anytime I got congratulated - didn't matter if it was guys here or friends of Robina's or people at TJ's school - any time it happened, it seriously felt like people were saying 'Good job nailing your girlfriend.'

'Yeah, I got that a little too, though it was mostly my family. You can never get too old to be squeamish about shit around your parents.' Esposito sipped his truly awful coffee; he'd been spoiled by his home espresso maker and Brewster at work. 'How it go in the delivery room?'

'Really well. Robina was scared, but once they put up the big sterile sheets to do whatever, she was a lot calmer. Oh, and the noise thing? I didn't hardly hear it.'

'Seriously?'

'Yeah, it was like once I was there beside Robina, keeping her calm and steady, nothing else mattered.' Gil slapped Esposito's shoulder. 'And just think, in four months time, it'll be your turn for this.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	22. Body English: 20 Weeks

They had their tree. It was one of Meredeth's favourite rituals of Christmas preparation, even more than braving the idiots of Blackout Friday or seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving parade on TV, the true marker for Meredeth that Christmas was coming was the acquisition of the fresh Christmas tree from a little tree-farm near Sleep Hollow. It had gotten considerably easier to do so since her grandmother had given her the Nissan though Meredeth had had no problems renting a truck or other utility car in order to get it home in the past; there was something about going into the small-town and chopping it herself, then with Esposito and friends, that brought out the season spirit in her heart.

Of course, this year she'd been relegated to picture taking while Dave, Ryan and Esposito did the heavy lifting and Lanie watched over Carey and Arturo. Since she was now five months pregnant, and therefore over the halfway mark, Meredeth had no problem lifting nothing heavier than the camera. She'd gotten some good shots, too - all the requisite family photos, a cutesy one of Lanie and Dell showing Carey how to catch snowflakes on his tongue, and a rather priceless one of Arturo sizing up the huge Clydesdale horses, the look on his face clearing reading 'you're not so big'. How they managed to fit four adults, a baby in a car seat and a Great Dane into the car - Ryan, Honey-Milk and Dell had borrowed Ryan's sister's truck for their tree - was anyone's guess but they made it back to Manhattan in one piece. after dropping Lanie and Dave's tree at their apartment building, they returned north from the West Village up to Chelsea. By the time they were at the Esposito townhouse, everyone was ready for food.

'I'll get the barbecue going,' Esposito said as the others stripped off their snow gear and passed it to Ryan, who deposited it all in the laundry room under the stairs

'Mama, ouchies?' Dell asked, tugging on Honey-Milk's pants leg.

'After we eat, sweetie.'

'O-kay. Carey 'nooze, Lanie?'

'Yes, sweetie, and I think your mommy wants you to have a rest too.'

'No,' he protested on a yawn. 'No 'nooze.'

'But t-rex is ready for a nap and I bet he doesn't want to be alone.'

'Rex no 'lone. I go.' Not realizing he'd been played, Dell took his mother's hand and they went upstairs to the guest room, asking her the entire way if he'd get to stay in the big-boy bed again.

Meredeth watched them go with a smile. He'd rebounded so well from Hallowe'en and was enjoying his terrible twos with great relish once again. She winced a little at the distinct feel of a foot against her right side, not in pain but discomfort. Then she blushed a little when she saw her husband with the video camera out, continuing from earlier. He'd made a week-by-week photo journal and she'd posted some of them to her Twitter, making her followers coo and sigh.

'And here's my beautiful baby growing away inside my beautiful wife,' Esposito narrated, zooming in on her body. 'How many weeks are we at, Mama?'

'Twenty weeks and four days,' she replied, running her hands over her belly. 'I've got my own built-in Christmas ornament right here.'

Esposito grinned, then shut off the camera, set it down to come over and give his wife a hug from behind. She really did look gorgeous, he thought, her cheeks round and full, like her breasts and her belly. 'You're my rosy red apple. I have something for you later,' he murmured, stroking his hands over her stomach and feeling the bumps and nudges. 'You two hungry?'

'Famished.'

'So you could go for two turkey burgers?'

'Oh yeah.'

'Lanie?' Esposito glanced up to see Lanie coming downstairs, the portable end of the baby monitor in her hand. 'Burgers or hot dogs?'

'Oh, burger please. Every time I see hot dog now, I can't help but cringe and think 'circumcision',' she laughed, scratching her head. 'I know it's kinda gross, but it's how my mind works. I was off beef nearly three months when I was first starting out as a pathologist.'

'I get that,' Meredeth commented, sitting down at the kitchen table while Dave and Ryan prepped vegetables in the sink. Normally she'd have freaked right out over not being in control of the food preparation, but her hubby was barbecuing and it was so blessedly nice to be off her feet. 'Kinda hard to enjoy a steak when you know what part of the body it came from.'

'Exactly.'

'Well, now that we've met our disgusting quota of the day,' Ryan commented, taking the plates of Meredeth's pre-prepped beef and turkey burgers out of the fridge, 'let's roast some ground animal flesh. Merry Christmas.'

Despite the rather gross topic of conversation right before dinner, they enjoyed their barbecued burgers and dogs, with veggie dogs for Ryan, a little slider sized burger for Dell and a cocktail of breast milk and formula for Carey. Meredeth had been busy in her kitchen the day before - there was also fresh coleslaw and potatoes cut for oven-baked fries to go with their burgers. As always, the chatter around the table was bright and animated; as Meredeth laughed over a debate between Dave, the die-hard Bruins fan and Esposito who worshipped the Blackhawks, Meredeth felt a small rumble, took an extra long drink of water.

'Mere?' Esposito noticed it; he was on permanent Meredeth-watch these days, especially when she ate. Two days before, she'd suffered a nasty round of heartburn and the day before she'd been farting like a Howitzer. He knew from reading it was part of her body's process while pregnant but it didn't stop him from being concerned. 'Everything okay?'

'I think so, I-_hic_...oh bugger.' Merederth shook her head as she felt her whole body jerk. 'Bloody hiccups again.'

Esposito nodded then stood up from his chair to pour her a glass of straight club soda. 'Try this, it worked the last time.'

'Thanks, baby.'

'Slow sips. What?' he asked, looking at the others at the table who were giving him gooey looks, and saw Dell grinning just like his daddy. 'Something on your mind, little man?'

'Javi love Merry,' he said in the slightly teasing tone of all children. 'Moosh?'

'If you say so.' Esposito pressed his lips lightly to Meredeth's cheek, felt her give a jiggle as she hiccuped again. 'Like that?'

'Yea moosh.'

* * *

By clean-up time, Meredeth's hiccups hadn't subsided so she went up to her room to lie down, hoping the change of position would let gravity shift her insides around a little and make them stop. She'd tried to politely excuse herself but they weren't having it; as Lanie pointed out, she shouldn't feel guilty about natural occurrences in the body during pregnancy and most certainly not about needing to rest, especially in her own home. And to add insult to injury, it meant she was going to miss out on dessert, and it was a good one too - she'd made brownies and homemade caramel to serve hot with ice cold vanilla fro-yo. She'd been so careful watching her sugar and fat intake during the week, she decided that tree-getting day was a great time to splurge and she _really_ wanted something chocolaty.

The door creaked open, and Meredeth glanced over to see Esposito coming into their room, a look of sympathy on his face as he shut the door behind him.

'How you feel, Mere?'

'No _hic_ different.' She tugged out her earbuds, paused her iPod from the blue-tooth watch; Lanie had lent her the iBump and she'd decided to give it a try while resting. 'And I _hic_ really want _hic_ my brownie. What are you _hic_ doing?' she asked bemusedly. Her hubby had crawled onto the bed beside her while she'd relayed her passing woes.

'Dave and Ryan took Arturo for a little walk and Lanie and Honey-Milk are chilling with the babies before they go to bed, so I thought I'd come up to see my babe.' Esposito tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, then linked fingers with her so they rested together over her belly. 'Wow, little one's really active, huh?'

'He or she is_ hic_ annoyed because I _hic_ keep hiccuping. And he or she isn't the only one getting annoyed.'

Espsosito lay on his side, spoon against Meredeth and stroking her back as she continued to hiccup when there was a soft knock on the door followed by a male voice.

'Javi?'

'Yeah, bro.'

Dave gently shoved open the door, closed it behind him. 'I, ah, Jenn said you'd come up here because Meredeth's still not feeling so hot?'

'No-_hic_-ope,' Meredeth sighed, wishing it would go away. 'Damn hiccups won't stop.'

'I might be able to help. Lanie got gas really badly around five months with Carey and I learned a few things to, um, help.'

Esposito found it a little disconcerting the way Dave kept hesitating. He was a paramedic and had seen people in some very unpleasant situations. Then again, the man off the clock was friendly and warm but also very reserved. 'Spit it out, dude, I think anything would make her feel better at this point.'

'Ah, massage and that.'

'That doesn't sound so bad.'

'It works best when the woman is topless, better access to the body,' he finished on a blush. 'But if either of you are uncomfortable with that, I don't have to-'

'Screw mode-_hic_-sty in four months _hic _I'm going to have the en-_hic_-tire world seeing hic a head wiggling out of my _hic_ nether-regions.' Meredeth craned her neck, saw the wary expression on Esposito's face. 'Babe, are you okay with it?'

'Yeah.' Esposito pursed his lips. 'Just keep in mind if you smile when she didn't tell a joke, you're a dead man.'

'Understood.' Dave looked around, saw the container of cocoa butter lotion on Meredeth's vanity table. 'Javi grab that cocoa butter, would you? It works best if you've got soft, slightly greased hands so the skin doesn't stick.'

Esposito went over, grabbed the econo-sized jar of cocoa butter lotion. 'Go nuts.'

'You too.' When both men had smoothed the cream between their palms, they knelt on either side of the pregnant woman, who'd taken off her sweater and maternity bra, draped a light cotton cloth over her breasts for a little dignity.

'Okay, first one we'll do is the most personal, so we'll get it out of the way and then you can re-drape, okay?' Dave kept his eyes on Meredeth face, and with a firm push, he pressed the blades of his fingertips down against Meredeth's sternum then dragged them up between the valley of her breasts. He repeated the process with his other hand, and going over and over like he was pulling on a rope.

'This helps bring the gas bubbles up out of the esophagus, but there has to be enough pressure, like CPR, otherwise you're just tickling her.'

'Feels _hic _good,' Meredeth agreed, then smiled when her husband's hands replaced Dave's. 'Feels really good, Javi. What next, Dave?'

The paramedic covered her chest with the cloth, then moved on to her abdomen at the mid-point of her ribcage, moved his fingers in tight little looping circles, like he was drawing curly hair for a stick figure back and forth across her belly. Meredeth sighed and closed her eyes again when she felt her husband's hands on her once again.

'This also helps bring up the bubble, and again, there has to be enough pressure,' Dave instructed his friend. 'That's it, you got it.'

'How's that, Mere?'

Meredeth opened her mouth to reply and instead let out a massive burp that sounded like a bullfrog through a megaphone. The vibration of it radiated all the way her kneecaps, and left her gasping for air a little, even had both men rocking back so their butts rested on their heels.

'Oh, my God.' She wanted to weep in relief at the enormous pressure lifted from her chest and torso. Instead she took slow deep breaths. 'Oh, sweet Lord that felt so good.'

'Bet you feel better now, don't you?' Esposito laughed when Meredeth bobbed her head wildly.

'I'll show you a few more techniques, in case it happens again,' Dave offered, and was glad when Esposito also nodded and they went through the process of more relief massage.

Ten minutes later, Dave had gone back downstairs and Meredeth felt like pregnant self again. She turned to Esposito, kissed him lightly.

'Is my breath really bad from that ginormous belch?'

'No, it was mostly just air.'

Meredeth plucked at his shirt front a little. 'You said earlier you have something for me?'

'I do, but it'd be better to wait until everyone else downstairs left.'

'Or you could show me now and fantasize about it until they go.'

Esposito was intrigued by this idea, so he reached into his bedside drawer, pulled out a small bag. 'It's actually two thing, but they kinda go together.'

Meredeth bit her lip in anticipation; she recognized the bag from Sizzling Stork. Even when she felt like a mammoth as she edged along in growing their baby, he still thought of her as a sexy mammoth. A very naughty sexy mammoth, she realized as she pulled out the lipstick-red baby doll. The fabric was soft and sheer, chiffon most likely, and was split from just under the bust to the hemline so her pregnant belly could be free to move. He'd also added the equally soft panties to go with it and knew they would be big enough for her hips

'This is gorgeous, but why red, Javi? For Christmas?'

'Every time I see you with the bump and your rosy cheeks, you look like a delicious candy apple,' he told her with a sheepish little-boy grin. 'Makes me wanna take great big bites outta you.'

Meredeth shook her head as she dipped into the bag again and pulled out a copy of _Dear Diary_, the smutty-letters magazine they occasionally bought so they could read dirty bedtime stories to each other. She saw he'd booked-marked a page and flipped it open.

' '_Dear Diary_',' she murmured as she read aloud. ' 'My friends all started making fun of me that when my wife got pregnant we wouldn't be able to have a vigorous and passionate sex life. As you'll see in this letter, boy were they wrong'.' She looked at him, sized him up. 'Yeah, definitely let's wait until after everyone is gone for that spoonful of sugar.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	23. Clandestine Meetings

'So what do you think?'

'I think our baby is going to love it.'

Esposito wrapped his arms around Meredeth from behind. The nursery was up and running: the walls were Bora-Bora blue and there was a school of tropical fish chasing each other around the top of the walls near the ceiling in yellows and greens and oranges and purples; the cherry-wood bureau and long counter top that would serve as a functional space and changing station were polished and glossy. Antonio, Esposito's friend the carpenter, pointed them in the direction of a furniture maker and had hooked them up with both an arm-chair and gliding rocker upholstered in teal green fabric so it looked like the furniture was from the bottom of the sea. They still didn't have the crib but that was okay by Meredeth as she hadn't found the right linens yet for the baby's bed.

'It looks good for a boy or a girl,' Meredeth commented, wandering around the room. 'And it's also something he or she can grow into, plus if he or she decides they like something else, blue walls are pretty easy to deal with.'

'It was my idea for the fish.'

She grinned, went over to give him a kiss. 'I love it. You guys did a great job painting.'

The baby responded by giving a swift kick to her bladder, and the need to pee was so sudden and urgent Meredeth wasn't sure she'd make it the fifteen feet from the nursery to the bathroom. 'Oh, be right back,' she told her husband, who promptly stepped aside and got out of her way.

Esposito smiled softly as he envisioned the space where the crib would go. Oh, Meredeth didn't know it yet, but it was a Christmas present to her and the baby - he'd gotten Antonio to work up a design and the pieces were being delivered the morning of the twenty-fourth, so he'd surprise her with a picture of it on the twenty-third, when they went to his parents' for the Esposito family Christmas.

He heard the dog going ballistic at the window and furrowed his brow; he was off this Monday before being on for eight straight followed by another two days off so he could go with Meredeth once again to their sonogram check-up. When he peeked through the curtains and saw who was on the other side, he was mildly annoyed but mostly confused.

'Did you miss the memo today's my day off and I'm spending it with my wife?'

'I know, but trust me, bro, you're have to hear this.' Ryan came in with two bags of takeout from Green Dragon, their favourite place to get Chinese when they were working overnights; his black satchel where he carried all his work notes and case files was slung over his opposite shoulder. 'The captain's on his way over here, so we'll need four places at the table.'

'I'm guessing this is about the Doran case?'

'Oh, you might say that.'

'Ryan?' Meredeth came downstairs, and felt a slick sense of oily dread when she saw him look up the stairs at her with such a storm of emotions on his face she wasn't sure what to think. 'This is a nice, if unexpected surprise. Here for a little shop talk?'

'No. It's serious Mere, and I think you should be here for it. The captain's on his way here.'

'Okay.' Meredeth gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and headed into the kitchen. Ryan nearly followed her but for Esposito grabbing his bicep to hold him in place.

'What?'

'Is my wife in danger? Is yours?'

'No.' Ryan looked him dead in the eye. 'And that's why we're having this meeting. To make sure it stays that way.'

Esposito nodded, let him go. Clearly, whatever it was Ryan had found working from home that day was huge, so huge they couldn't risk anyone overhearing any whisper or muted rumour at the precinct. They went into the kitchen, found Meredeth setting the table for four places; Esposito took out serving bowls for the food and Ryan found a pitcher of Meredeth's blackberry iced red-tea in the fridge. All of it was done without the usual warmth and zing when her boys got together for at-home working days.

By the time the captain arrived, looking just as morose, Meredeth began to feel genuinely afraid, but she kept it at bay by repeating to herself that Ryan and Esposito weren't bullshitters or Paranoid Paulies when it came to their jobs. If they were going to these lengths for a meeting with their boss, it had weight.

'Detective,' Montgomery said brusquely, stepping inside the Chelsea townhouse. 'I think this is the first time I've been in your home since you moved in here with Meredeth.'

'Ryan said she should sit in with us, though-'

'I think if we've gone to this length of privacy for an update meeting, Meredeth's presence won't be in question.' Montgomery nodded, headed towards the kitchen where he found the detective and the mother-to-be pouring drinks for the table. Meredeth was indeed blooming, as Castle had described it, her bump highly visible under her warm looking hoodie. 'Meredeth, you look well.'

'Thank you sir. Please, have a seat. Ryan brought Green Dragon and we're just about to eat.'

'If you don't mind, I'd like to hear what is going on that Ryan would call his partner in on his day off.'

Ryan nodded like a robin drunk on worms, shouldered his work bag once again. 'Let's head into the living room.'

The four of them sat, Meredeth in the corner of the couch, Esposito beside her, the captain one of the armchairs and Ryan on the floor in front of the fireplace. The Irishman pulled several files, with tabs and obvious colour-coding, and spread them on the low coffee table.

'Okay,' he started, 'We got the warrant on the Timo Ross bank-box and sure enough, there was all of Angela's diaries, journals, articles, everything she'd written since she was seventeen, including six jump-sticks full of her most recent stuff, as well as the back-ups for all her work on her articles for _The Ledger_. The first four years were particularly interesting because she makes a note of saying in her first entry was when she met Timo, when he was working with her father and he invited Timo over to the house for beer to do some work like this.'

'Mike did that a lot,' Montgomery agreed.

'Yeah, and so there's a lot of stuff in there, very, ah, detailed about when they started sleeping together and things like that,' Ryan said, 'but there were two that caught my eye in particular. One dated on May twelfth, the other dated May nineteenth.'

'May nineteenth is the day Timo died,' Esposito clarified for Meredeth, who nodded her understanding, 'but why the twelfth?'

'Angela wrote almost an entire page on how Timo came home to their apartment right after shift instead of going for a beer with the boys like he did almost every Tuesday night, and he was right pissed off about something. This was maybe, four or five months after Julio Robinson began his incarceration. He'd gone to the Twenty-Third to speak to Mike Doran about a case he was working on and apparently there was a very heated argument in Mike's office but neither would say what about, and Timo didn't tell Angela specifics, only that it had something to do with new information regarding Julio Robinson and whatever it was, Mike wasn't interested in acting on it.'

'Makes sense he'd be pissed off, though, because Julio Robinson was the number one cocaine drug lord in Manhattan,' Montgomery said, starting to see where Ryan was walking with the information, 'and Mike's head of the Narc bureau where most of Julio's dealers had their jackets filled up, but Timo had the big boys in his house.'

'Right. So we jump forward and find out the reason she wanted him to stop at Milk-and-Honey. Read that.' Ryan flipped open a folder, passed a printed sheet to Esposito; he read it aloud with Meredeth following along silently beside him.

_I've been having my doubts of late at Timo's distraction and his time being consumed by the job. It is going to make raising our baby even more challenging. God, even writing it in here, my private vault of thoughts, makes me feel so happy. If I can't share it yet with my family – we've only told Timo's mother; kinda hard not to since she's a nurse at the OBGYN's office – then at least I can scream it out loud on paper._

_I am having a baby with the love of my life._

_I've called and asked him to pick up some Milky Way ice cream from the creamery on his way home, and he's already started teasing me that I'm turning into a cravings-monster. Typical Timo. But I know that he'll buy me the largest possible size, not just because I'm pregnant but also because who wouldn't want to buy the largest possible ice cream size at Milk-n-Honey? It's like crack-filled frozen dairy treaty goodness. Of course, I don't make jokes like that around Timo._

_I sincerely hope the foetus doesn't hate the stuff. Otherwise, it's going to be a long seven months ahead of me._

'Jesus,' he breathed. 'That's why she was hospitalized after Timo died. Most people assumed she'd gone into a deep depression and was getting a psych diagnosis. Poor girl. But how does this get us any closer to the truth about the case?'

'Because of this.' Ryan pulled out another printed sheet, traded it off for the journal entry. 'It's Angela's last journal entry she logged into her digital journal before she died.'

_Eight years, six months and eighteen days, and it still feels like a dagger in the heart to think of my Timo. But this...I don't know how to think of this. I thought looking into that file, the one he'd left in the bank vault in my name, would give me closure, but instead it's opened the doors to an entirely new brand of hell to me._

_Timo's murder wasn't random, it was a hit. Those files prove it. He knew there was something off about the Julio Robinson case, even when he'd closed it. How was all that cocaine still getting out to the streets, how was he still making money?_

_Timo knew. And he told my father, the one man I thought would never let me down. And he not only betrayed my lover, he destroyed everything our relationship was built on._

_Now that I know, it's made things worse. Who in God's name would ever suspect? And how would you take down a villain who's so well-insulated?_

'A little melodramatic, but it's proven the point. He left case files in his bank vault that didn't look like anything because the names in the files were blacked out when the original investigation took place searched them, and weren't considered hard evidence in Timo's case,' Ryan explained. 'But it turns out one of the jump-sticks put in since Angela had taken it over contained the original case files without the blackouts. That's what Timo found, he found out how Julio Robinson was still running his product while in prison.'

Ryan flipped open a file, passed around the sketch that Timo had put together. 'The guards at the prison would talk to the investigative officers from the task force from the two houses involved in taking him down, and get a little something for their troubles. The IO's in turn would pull in their snitches and the dealers in their purview and let them know about the business. And here's where it gets messy. Timo found out who Julio had bought in the two precincts.' He scanned the sheet of names.

'Dean McManus and Roberto Chavez, those are the guards at the prison, then there's Dean McManus, Sarah Adler, Tucker Lloyd out of the Seventy-Second, and then there was Nick Watson, Gabe Moriarty...and Mike Doran all out of the Twenty-Third.'

Now Montgomery straightened in his chair. 'That's some serious accusations, Detective.'

'Not accusations, facts, sir.' Ryan opened a third file folder. 'Financial records on all of them. I don't know how Timo got a hold of this information, but chances are he worked the angles of a warrant when he saw the money going in and out of the dealers' accounts, and figured it out from there. This is more than likely what Timo and Mike fought over the week before he died,' he added, passing the information around.

Meredeth looked at the sheets, and her eyes began to water; she'd never had a head for figures and left the financial wizardry to her accountant. 'Is it possible Timo and Mike would have fought over Angela being pregnant? She was only what, twenty-two, barely out of school a month and having a baby, I think that'd make any parent, cop or otherwise blow their stack.'

'No.' Montgomery shook his head. 'Mike wouldn't lose his cool at the office over something like that.'

'I don't know, sir,' Esposito countered, thinking of the blowout Gil Mazzara had had with his first wife. 'The right set of circumstances would make anyone a little loopy.'

'Anyways,' Ryan continued, 'Mike was probably terrified that his daughter would find out. After all, if you look at the deposits Mike made into his daughter's college fund, she barely dipped into her line of credit, and she went to a top school. No way you can pay that on a florist and a cop's salary. Angela, being an only child and daddy's princess would have believed her father when he said they'd find a way to work it out, so imagine her shock to look at those financial records a little more closely and realize just how her hero paid for her schooling and her family life.'

Meredeth thought of the blow she'd gotten upon finding her bio-dad and the head-spin it had given her. 'It would have flattened her.'

'And isn't it curious how when Angela discovered Timo's case files, she also had a confrontation with her father and less than a week later she's dead too?'

'No.' It was an automatic response from Esposito, gripping Meredeth's fingers tightly. 'Kev, you can't be serious.'

'That's a long leap to make,' Meredeth added, laying a hand in maternal protection over her bump, her heart sinking as she also made the connection. 'And a dangerous one if you're not sure how you're going to land.'

'I know, so I went back over the phone records, the outgoing calls from the house line and saw that Angela had called her father just minutes after she'd talked to Timo. That's the only other call on her phone record for that day until after Timo was found later than night.' Ryan sighed, scratched his head. 'I really don't like this feeling, but it's looking more and more like Mike Doran had his daughter killed because she found out he was responsible for Timo Ross' death.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	24. Return to Normalcy

Esposito let out a shaky breath. It was impossible to think, and yet, there it was, the financial evidence, the phone records, things Timo and Angela would have had no reason to doctor. 'So what now, Captain?' he asked, taking Meredeth's hand in his.

'This is no longer your case. I will make an official statement saying that Ryan and Esposito's investigation went cold and that due to the sensitive nature of the case, it's being turned over to the state. Which is two-thirds true. You will have their names removed from all official documents and make a statement to the Dorans that due to the overwhelming position you are in, you're unable to continue as the investigative team,' Montgomery explained. 'We've got enough to bring him in for questioning, along with Lloyd and the rest of them, and we will lean hard.'

'Sir, what about our families?' Ryan recognized the look on his partner's face and his mind immediate;y went to his wife and son.

'There will be nothing to worry about for your safety or theirs,' Montgomery reassured his detectives. 'These were done out of fear for his own ass, not vengeance. But the big thing is, once a dirty cop's exposed, it's like a scattering of roaches. No one wants to be associated with a dirty cop and if the street thugs realize we got to the inside man, they'll look to protect themselves. Unofficially, I'm arranging for your schedules to be cleared so you can lay low for a few days if it makes you feel better.'

'Immensely.'

'The temptation to leave town is strong, but staying here shows you're not going to be cowed. This is dangerous, but we will get them.' Montgomery stood up, took all of the hard copies Ryan had brought with him. 'I know we were meant to share a meal, but if you'll excuse me, I have to go speak to the mayor and the commissioner.'

Once Montgomery had left, Meredeth let out a shaky breath that ended on a sob. 'Oh, God, Javi.'

'It's okay, Mere, it's going to be fine.' He circled his hand over her back, as much for his comfort as hers.

'I know, I know it will be but...planned accidents happen all the time with connected people like this. What if I'm here alone and there's a break-in? Or I'm shoved down the stairs in the subway? Maybe a mugger gets me when I'm leaving the grocery store or my yoga class?'

'Mere, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise.' Esposito gathered her close, stroked her back. 'Would you feel better if I put you and Honey-Milk and Dell on a plane to Miami, said there was a family emergency and your friend's going with you for moral support?'

'No. I'd just be worried the entire time about you here alone.'

'Okay, then. We stick around here, watch it unfold.'

Ryan stood up, walked around the table to sit on the other side of Meredeth. 'Montgomery's good at that spin thing, he's really good. If word gets out to Mike we look like a bunch of bumbling idiots who've gone soft, they'll have no reason to look twice at us.'

'Exactly. I'm, ah, going to go lie down for a little bit, okay? Ryan, text Jenny, and tell her to come here when she's off shift with your little guy.'

When Meredeth had given her husband a kiss and left the room, Esposito looked at his partner with a fierceness he usually saved for the baddest mothers in the box. 'Kevin, I trust you with my life and I love you like a brother, so tell me straight up. Should I ignore my wife's wishes and put her on a plane far far away?'

'No,' Ryan replied, echoing Meredeth's words. 'She'd only worry about you and the captain has some pull with the state guys. They are going to shut this down like clockwork.'

* * *

Despite Meredeth's concerns, Esposito insisted she go about her days normally. While she found herself checking over her shoulder every other moment like the Boogeyman might jump out at her, she did her grocery shopping, dropped off dry-cleaning, and ran her other errands before returning to get some serious Christmas baking done in the two days after the news from Montgomery. She knew that marrying a cop came with certain relationship features not featured in other models, and yet she found when she lined up this shaky nervousness to the feeling she still carried with her about his shooting, the shooting was far less panic-inducing for the simple reason it was over and done with. This was like waiting for the piano to be dropped from the fifteenth story window.

The moment she walked through the door, however, she knew her paranoia would ease. After giving Arturo a quick pet and removign her winter outerwear, she walked into the kitchen to hear her husband on the phone with his captain on speaker.

'Sir, that is excellent news.'

'I told you I'd see to it. We cracked Lloyd like a walnut, and he thinks he's going to be a hero because he gave us everything he knew. I don't think it's sunk in yet he's going to prison for money laundering and will be stripped of all his NYPD rank and privileges.'

Esposito glanced up, saw Meredeth had come home. He smiled at her before asking Montgomery, 'What about Mike, sir?'

'We got him in for questioning about an hour ago and we're waiting on the lawyer, but I've had the undercover Vice grapevine tell me that anyone associated with him and his dirty work is closing up shop for good, now that they see their connected man is in the stir. I'll call you the moment I know something concrete.' There was a pause. 'Esposito, don't think just because this case is no longer in yours and Ryan's hands that I'll forget who broke this open. Since it won't be on your official records that you closed it, all I can offer you at this point is my personal pat on the back on a job well done.'

'That means a great deal sir, official or otherwise.'

'I'll let you go, I can't stay on the line too long, but take comfort in the fact that your family is, by my, the mayor, the commissioner and the head of the state investigative team, as well as IAB's opinions, in the clear.'

Esposito let out a quiet sigh of relief. 'That is the best thing you've told me all day, sir. We'll talk soon.'

'Take care of your wife and your baby, Detective. They are your priority, not these eggheads.'

'Right, sir. Thanks again.'

He hung up the line, then took Meredeth's hands in his. 'You heard that?'

'Yes.' Meredeth shook loose his grip and wrapped her arms around him. 'Yes, I did. That's such a relief.'

'Montgomery keeps his word, especially when family's concerned, and so do I. You hear that in there?' Esposito rubbed his fingertips in a circle over his wife's belly. 'You're all safe. Don't believe every word Dell Ryan tells you, your daddy keeps you out of harm's way too. How was your morning out?'

'Stressful, I kept looking over my shoulder, waiting for something to happen. But it didn't and now that I know we're mostly out of the woods, I'm much more in a Christmas mood.'

Eposito eyed her excitedly. 'Cookies?'

'You know it, and since you're home with me right now, you can help me out if you want.' When he grinned, went to the pantry for her apron and his, Meredeth grinned. 'Okay, first things first, I need my recipe book, all the pots and pans out of the oven, an apple and some fizzing grapefruit juice.'

He followed her instructions, getting her tools and her snack ready for her. 'What will I be doing, stirring and mashing?'

'I'm promoting you this year to Rice Krispie ball treats.' She paused. 'That sounds really dirty.'

'I blame the hormones, you can turn anything dirty these days. Remember the banana bread debacle?'

Meredeth snickered. 'Oh, I do. Pass me the butter.'

* * *

They made four kinds of cookies, including Beckett's favourite biscotti and the Esposito secret recipe almond galletas, along with brownies and creamy lemon bars. When they were all cooling and the kitchen was tidied, she went upstairs to rest again and wasn't surprised when her hubby joined her.

'Babe, could you rub my legs?' she asked, drumming her fingers on her belly. 'They're feeling awfully puffy.'

'Sure.' Esposito grabbed the tub of cocoa butter lotion and greased his palms before attending to her legs, which were a little on the fuzzy-side. 'Mere,' he asked as he smoothed the lotion over her skin,' when was the last time you shaved your legs?'

'I tried to a couple of times but junior here kinda gets in the way so before I pitch a fit, I just give up.'

Esposito pursed his lips. 'You want me to help you?'

'What, shave my legs for me?'

'Sure.' He also didn't want to admit that he was feeling more than a little guilty about the worry he'd caused her the last few days with his job. 'I want you to feel as sexy as possible, especially for Friday night.'

'Oh, that's right, we've got our pre-Valentine's coming up.' Meredeth smiled as she watched him head into the ensuite. It had been a rather ingenious idea - celebrating hearts-day in December when Meredeth's hormones were still in their second semester charge up and they could make the most of it. He had the whole night planned, it was why he'd given her the sexy red lingerie from Sizzling Stork the weekend previous along with the fresh copy of _Dear Diary_; they were having dinner at Portafino's, the first place they'd had a suit-and-tie kind of dinner together, followed by dancing at House of Blue Light jazz club and then home for cold soft-drink cocktails and hot sexy fun times together. And all of this would be coming on the heels of an appointment with Harvey to see their little one getting bigger and bigger inside Meredeth.

But given the new development in the case they were now unofficially attached to, Meredeth chewed her lip, cocked her head to the side when Esposito came back with a small pitcher of warm water, her razor and shaving cream, and several towels. 'Are you sure we're going to be okay doing that, given everything that's going on with the case?' she asked as he laid the towels on his side of the bed.

'Yes.' Esposito knew he'd double-check it with his captain, though his gut told him this would be locked up in chains and buried deep so no one involved would be a target. After all, Montgomery himself had a family to take care of, as did the others who'd taken it on. 'Now scooch over here.'

Meredeth obliged him and felt a little goosebumpy when he smeared the softly scented foam onto her legs, uncap her razor. 'You have experience shaving legs, Javi?'

'When I was seventeen, I tripped Lili in a neighbourhood baseball game, accidentally though she'll swear otherwise, and she sprained her ankle really badly so as her punishment for me, I had to do her legs,' he explained, 'and when I was a probie in the academy, I, ah, ran triathlons and had to shave all my own body-hair off for speed in the water.'

'All your body hair, even your-'

'I mean everything.' Esposito chuckled a little as he rinsed the razor. 'But this has to be by far the best reason I've had to shave legs.' He stroked his fingertip over the silky feel of the newly hairless calf. 'I understood the phrase 'I'd rather shave my legs with a rusted cheese-grater' a little better after the triathlons thing.'

'I should hope so.'

'Bend your knee up, babe.'

Meredeth laughed. 'I don't suppose I could get you to swallow a little more pride and get you to do a little more intimate grooming for me once you're finished with my legs, could you?'

'Define intimate.'

'Trimmed _skede_, Javi,' Meredeth said, colour seeping into her cheeks. 'I'm not supposed to use any hot waxing or whatever down there, and I don't want to be like some wild rain-forest.'

'I'll think about it.' Esposito did really mean he'd consider it, yet when he'd finished both her legs and rubbed them dry with the towels, he took one look at Meredeth and the bump and patted her thigh. 'Off with the panties, Mere.'

'Oh, Javi, thank you.'

He was sweet and attentive to detail and didn't make a big deal out of it, just did his thing, and tossed the disposable razor blade-head in the trash when he was finished, then stroked his fingers over her lightly.

'Feel better,' he murmured.

'Much. I don't think they really prepare guys for that one in the daddy-baby books, huh?'

Esposito gathered up the towels, then stretched out beside her once they were in the hamper. 'I see it more as like cosmic payback for when I was shot and you looked after me when I was being a total ass. Least I can do is pay it back, huh? Oh, hey now,' he murmured when he saw the little trails of tears on her cheeks. Her hormones had mostly been centralized to her libido, but every so often, she snapped at him or had them leak out her eyes. He brushed the blade of his palm on her face. 'What's wrong, Mere?'

'You shaved my legs and _skede_ for me, and...and...I don't feel sexy at all, not when you see me like that, and it's making me feel like how will you think of me when you've seen the horror-show of our child being born? How attractive will I look to you then?'

'As beautiful as you do right now.' Esposito kissed her, moved his hand up over the bump to gently massage her breast. 'I love you Mere.'

'I love you too.'

His hands on her were like magic, soothing while exciting at the same time. Meredeth turned towards him, stroking her hands over his shoulders, the feel of him solid and real doing more for her than anything else could. She tried to hook the crook of her knee over his hip but her bump was a little in the way; because he was such an understanding lover, he changed the angle of his body so she could fit as snugly as possible against him.

Esposito understood the kind of love she needed, craved, right now and would give her exactly that.

'My beautiful Mere,' he told her, keeping her mouth a whisper from his as he stroked his hands over her body. 'Let me show you what you mean to me.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	25. Date Night: 21 Weeks

_Hey all, glad to see lots of people passing the word and sharing the love! Also, the end of this chapter might require some fanning down and/or cold bevvies during/after reading! Enjoy!_

* * *

By Friday morning, the shit had really hit the fan and Esposito couldn't have been happier. Mike had broken down after four hours in the box when they told him they'd discovered that eight years prior Angela had miscarried her baby after Timo's death, confessing that if his daughter had just been honest with him this probably wouldn't have happened. But his eyes were dry as he said it and he'd gone from impenetrable wall to sullen resignation.

Even better had been when Montgomery had spoken at the press conference and made both him and Ryan anonymous heroes: He'd stated how due to the strained and limited resources of overworked, under-appreciated NYPD cops, they'd done the responsible thing and handed the case over to the authority more equipped to handle this kind of investigation. The way he phrased it made them sound like whipped starving work horses who'd been so overwhelmed with the nature of the case they'd blown the whistle to big brother who'd stepped in with a kind smile and helping hand.

That was crumbs, though, compared to what the papers and press did with the news that it was a cop like Mike Doran who'd had Timo Ross and his own child, killed for no reason than to cover his own dirty dealings. When that news hit the streets, the guys in Vice said it was like yelling 'shark' at a crowded beach. Esposito had thought that it would be game over once the papers learned their names but Montgomery never released them, as it was vital to the integrity of the case and the upcoming trials that the two initial investigators remained annonymous.

Though it was hard to deal with the emotional fallout of it, Esposito was happy that Timo and Angela's killer had been brought to justice and that he could go out with his wife as planned. He was just shutting down his computer, ready to leave for the night when Montgomery poked his head out of his office.

'Detective Esposito, a word?'

Esposito went into the captain's quarters, took a seat as Montgomery closed the door.

'I know you've got plans with your wife tonight, Detective so I'll keep this short. I'm proud of you.'

'I- thank you sir.' The praise from his boss was not uncommon, Montgomery was grateful and gratuitous with his recognition of their work on a daily basis, but this level meant you really knew what you were doing. 'I just wanted to close the case for Timo. He meant a lot to me sir, and I wasn't about to put my family in jeopardy.'

'You're a good man, Javier, and a hell of a cop. You did the job and this time around, we won.' Montgomery smiled. 'Don't let me keep you now, I know you and Meredeth are having some kind of fancy date night. Your partner told me when we spoke earlier.'

'Yeah, it's our Valentine's tonight, since she'll be over seven months by the time it actually rolls around so we're having dinner out tonight instead.'

'How goes the name-game?' The captain laughed when Esposito rolled his eyes dramatically. 'It's always a tricky part. Enjoy your night tonight.'

* * *

Meredeth tugged the zipper up her side, twisted to look at herself in the mirror. She'd gone shopping for a dress and hoped that she hadn't puffed up even more, but thankfully, she looked good. The black material with its silver accents hugged around her breasts in a flattering way and flowed like rainwater over the bump all the way down to her knee, and she'd added on funky flats with gel soles to make her feet feel a little more pampered. She styled her hair and done her makeup and sighing she looked at the butter-yellow tulip that had arrived that morning from the florist, along with a note from her husband that made her sigh in romance.

She glanced over and saw him finishing tying his smoky-silver tie with his sharp looking suit - all black, even the shirt - and caught a heady sniff of his special-occasion aftershave. The scent of it, pure male, made her salivate but she kept it in her pants, as she knew how the night would end and anticipation of it was half the fun.

'You all set, babe?' she asked, reaching for her dress coat.

'Yeah, I...' Esposito glanced at her in his mirror, then turned around to get an eyeful of her. 'Wow.'

'You like?'

'Wow,' he repeated, kissing her on the cheek. 'My Danish apple's a blackberry tonight.'

They took the subway, rather than trying to find parking in Lower Manhattan on a Friday night before Christmas, to Portafino's and Meredeth felt like an absolute princess when he held open the door for her and they were shown to their seat by the fireplace.

'We are serving three chefs specials tonight. Might I suggest the oh-three Zugatti spumante rota to begin your meal tonight?'

'A glass for myself and soft cider for the lady,' Esposito said; the waiter nodded and backed away from their table.

'I'm surprised the guy didn't say it doesn't matter if you're pregnant or not, the doctors say a glass of red wine is fine once in awhile when you are pregnant,' Meredeth commented, unsure of what she craved for dinner tonight.

'We worked a case a little while back, before you and I were married, a guy shot a busboy in the middle of a restaurant because he brought his wife wine when she was pregnant.'

'I know you're protective, but I hope you wouldn't go that nuts.'

'I wouldn't, because you'd be there reeling me in with the butterfly net.' Esposito picked up her hand, grazed the knuckles with his lips. 'If I ever get as bad as Kevin was, you have full permission to snap my neck with your bare hands.'

'Not snap your neck, but you would find it hard to sit down with third degree burns on your ass.' Meredeth's nerves went all a-tingle when his lips hit her skin and decided the spicy red sauce was out. She was hot enough for him as it was, she didn't need to add anything else to it. 'I think I'm going to go for the grilled prosciutto and melon for my antipasto and the grilled pork loin over farfalle with creamy tomato, pancetta and fontina

'That's a lot of ham,' Esposito commented, looking off her menu; he loved the intimacy of the restaurant that he could do that without others looking at him strangely. Esposito had always been one to sneer at public displays of affection, but after meeting Honey-Milk for the first time and seeing Ryan plant one on his girl in the middle of the bullpen, he had softened this stance.

His musings were cut short as the blood drained out of his head and into his lap when Meredeth turned to whisper in his ear, 'Guess you could say I have a very strong craving for pork today.'

* * *

By the time they were back in Chelsea, Esposito was ready to have his wife on any available service she could handle. The entire night had been one of romance and teasing; he'd gotten her back for the 'pork craving' comment in the restaurant at the jazz club. She asked him if he was impressed by the performer, and he murmured saucily in her ear, 'No one blows me away like you do, though.' He'd gotten a slow, sticky kiss in return for that one, the kind that made him fantasize about what she'd do with that mouth once they were home.

Now that they were, and he'd helped her out of her coat, Esposito turned her around in his arms and pulled her as tightly as he could against her, combing his fingers through her hair as he lowered his mouth to hers. He kept his touch light as butterfly wings on her lips and just nudged the tip of his tongue between them.

'Do you know how many times I've undressed you with my eyes tonight, Javi?' Meredeth murmured, her hormones all but singing hallelujah as he dipped lower and found the sensitive skin where her pulse knocked at her throat.

'About as many as I've thought of you mostly naked.'

'Mostly?'

'I keep thinking of you on a white beach with a very tiny bikini on.'

'How tiny?'

Esposito flicked his eyebrows once. 'The kind that makes the purple lingerie you wore for our six months together when we were dating look like a flannel nightgown.'

'Well, I don't have any of those but I do have something red hot to put on.'

Meredeth took his hand and led him upstairs to their room, shut the door behind them. She gave him a smouldering kiss, took the bag from Sizzling Stork into the ensuite. 'While you're waiting,' she murmured, 'there's a new addition in the toy-box. Check it out, we can use it if you like.'

Esposito waited until she'd closed the ensuite door to change and not spoil his surprise before reaching under her side of the bed and pulling out the white box of trinkets and other things they used in the bedroom - the silk scarves and naughty dice, the copy of _Dear Diary _from their honeymoon, novelty condoms and of course, their treasured extra-virgin coconut oil. And, he noted, a new box of edible massage oils. It was one of his top-three ways of being seduced, he thought, tugging off his tie and belt then rolling off his socks. The touch and feel of Meredeth's hands so intimately on his body was always something that put him in the mood, and when fragrant oils were added, he never had a prayer. These ones, he saw, were summer fruits - raspberry, peach, and lemon-lime. Where she got them from, he didn't know, but he knew she would write them a very nice thank-you note.

The door of the ensuite opened and Esposito was glad he was sitting down as he saw her walk out, almost shyly towards him. The baby-doll was come-hither red, accenting the gorgeous line of her bust and her baby-bump and to his purely prurient male fantasy, she'd skipped the panties. Nothing but his Meredeth under the hemline.

He stood up, crossed to her. 'God, what a sight you are. I could eat you up.'

'That sounds like an excellent idea.' Meredeth stepped closer, flipped open the buttons of his untucked shirt, then slid her hands over his body, making his shirt slip to the floor before she went for his pants. He was already hot and bothered for her, she could feel it, so she took her time and slid one hand beneath his boxers to cup him. Decadence heated her blood as she saw him tense a little then groan in frustrated pleasure as both his bottoms hit the floor. Knowing it would drive him wild, Meredeth stood in front of him, legs apart as she ground against him, slipping and sliding a little in anticipation.

'You wicked woman,' he murmured, hooking his fingers around the straps of her baby-doll and tugging them down her shoulders so he could watch those beautiful breasts and their slick, heated points pop out the top of the red fabric. 'You're not the only one who can tease,' he added, reaching his fingertip out and stroking one nipple then the other, making her gasp and sigh. Holding her tightly, he sat down on the bed so she was on top of him and he moved so she was underneath him, her back supported by the bed.

'What is it my Merry-Cherry wants,' he mused in a low voice, thrumming with desire. 'I know I want to hear her scream my name but how does she want to do that tonight?'

He flicked open the hooks between her breasts, holding her lingerie in place and they sprang out; he immediately filled his hands with them, then lowered his mouth to one as he massaged them, flicking his tongue teasingly over the nipple. The sound she made in her throat, a rusted groan of pleasure, made his head swim; every time they made love, even just a quick pet if not actual sex, she made the most beautiful sounds of satisfaction. When he moved to the other one, her hands smooth and clenched over the back of his head.

'I want your mouth on me, Javi.'

Esposito grinned against the curve of her breast. He'd hoped she'd say that, as he loved the noise she made when he did so. Trailing a line of kisses over her bump, where he felt the baby awake and kicking like Christian Reynaldo, he placed his hands on the outsides of her thighs and licked his way up her leg until he hit the honey-pot. Her hips bucked slightly and she kept both hands on the back of his head to keep him close as he kissed and tasted her, every pass making him harder until she was crying out his name in extended syllables and he knew he needed to bury himself inside her.

Though she couldn't really arch her back for him anymore, Meredeth had no problem letting him know just how good it felt when he did this. She could feel the wind-up for it inside, outside, everywhere on her body until her hips were grinding rhythmically and she felt his fingertips brush hers when her hands fell away from his head. She moaned out her orgasm of epic proportions and felt his fingers link with hers. Still in the throes of the first one, she watched with lust-heavy eyes as he kissed the inside of her leg and moved up her body so she could look him in the eye.

'You want me to-'

Esposito cut her off by brushing his fingertip over her lips, then kissing her. He reached behind her head and adjust one of his goose-down pillows there to give her hips a little leverage. Once he had her comfortable, he stroked his hands over her thighs, keeping just enough pressure on to keep them open for him. He ranged himself over her, hovering near her entrance as he nibble at her earlobe.

'How do you want it tonight, my love, loving, sexing or fucking?'

Meredeth's blood bubbled madly as she felt him so close to her. 'Fucking,' was her breathy, moaned reply; Esposito would take her at her word. He sank himself inside her making her pop with that little 'oh'. He kept his hands where they were to keep her thighs apart; each stroke actually had the headboard thumping against the wall as her gasps of appreciation for his talent grew louder and louder until she was, as he knew she would, scream for him. She heard him too, just as loud with her, panting for more and telling her how good she was as he felt her clench and tense and cry out she was coming. Her orgasm this time was an avalanche of sensation, mind-blowing and humbling all at once while she sobbed out his name against his neck, fingers clutching at his back while his dug into her hips and cheeks to give her another one.

She was so damn sexy, he thought, feeling her breath on his ear, and he loved her; it was his last coherent thought, for he felt the lock on the floodgates release and he moaned back in her ear, 'Come with me, Mere.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	26. Presents Galore: 23 Weeks

_Maximillian Alejandro Esposito_

_Maxine Esperenza-_

'Whatcha doin', Detective?'

Esposito glanced up from his notepad as he dropped the speaker of the phone away from his mouth, saw Beckett give him a barely-smothered smile. 'Meredeth and I have been going around on the name-game since Thanksgiving and we're no closer than when we started.'

'Don't let my hubby see that, he'll commandeer my murder board to help.'

'Hubby, is it?' Esposito snickered in a brotherly way. 'You must be full of Christmas cheer if you're calling him that at work.'

'I know what you're full of.'

Esposito heard the man on the other end of the phone click back on and he resumed his call. 'Thanks, Antonio. I'll talk to you soon.' He hung up, then grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. 'Wait, Beckett, this is a momentous occasio.' He shut down his computer and heaved a sigh.

'Should I applaud you figured out how to work the power button without Ryan around?'

'Shut up, and no. As of this moment, I am on three weeks of holiday time. One week of vacation and two weeks of my parental leave to be with Meredeth to get baby things prepped.' Esposito tugged on his winter hat, looked at his watch. 'And in about three minutes I'm going to be late for Christmas dinner with my family, so take care and I'll see you on the twenty-sixth for dinner.'

'Actually, I'm heading out too. Last minute gift pick-up for Alexis at the Fed-Ex store,' she explained hitting the button for the elevator. 'How is Meredeth doing?'

'Great. I got go home to her last night.'

Beckett furrowed her brow as she stepped onto the elevator. 'She kicked you out? Did you have a fight or something?'

'No, I had a cold and couldn't be around her to risk getting her all infected so I stayed on Ryan's couch a couple of nights until I was better.'

'Oh.' The mild panic that had formed in Beckett's stomach fled as quickly as it appeared and she hit the button for the parking garage.

'What, you thought I was in the dog house or something?'

'Well, she _is_ pregnant and has all those trippy hormones happening.'

Esposito laughed, adjusted his scarf. 'Beckett, I cannot wait until you and Castle start procreating. We are going to have so much fun. And on that cheery note,' he said with a light laugh when the doors opened for the parking garage, 'have a great time at Fed-Ex while I go to Spanish Harlem and get homemade empenadas and presents.

* * *

'Meredeth, sit, sit, you're not going to put my next grand-baby to work before it pops out.'

Alejandro's voice was stern but pleasant as he pulled out a chair at the kitchen table for his daughter-in-law, passed her a cup of hot water and lemon; she was off tea for the moment because it was making her restless despite the fact it was caffeine free. She plucked at the knee of her maternity jeans - she could no longer get away with just plus-sized clothes, she was into the real-preggo wear now - and watched as Rosalita and Lili stirred and chopped in the kitchen while Alejandro mixed drinks, and Cam was resting after finishing overtime on a swing shift with little Rosie. Her husband wasn't there yet, though she knew he wouldn't have been on time when he said six; six usually meant seven, seven thirty.

'Alejo, are you sure I can't-'

'Meredeth, golden rule, never argue with Papa on Christmas,' Lili laughed, loving the way her sister-in-law looked. She'd finally gotten through her nerves about the pregnancy weight and looked absolutely gorgeous in a leaf green cashmere cardigan and jeans. Her face was even rounder than usual from the baby weight but the twinkle in her eye was the same. 'Why don't you go watch TV or something, wait for my brother?'

'But-'

'An excellent idea.' His holiday cocktails finished, Alejandro took Meredeth by the elbow and led her into the living room, where he plunked her gently onto the end of the comfortable sofa and held up a selection of DVDs.

'I learned to speak English watching these Christmas classics, they spoke clear and slow, not like today where everyone wants to be a rapper like that Neon character.'

'I think you mean Ne-Yo,' Meredeth giggled, charmed by his butchering of the hip-hop star's moniker. 'And since I know it's your favourite, why don't we put on _The Bells of St-Mary's_.'

Alejandro winked at her. 'Clever girl.' He popped in the disc, sat down beside her while pulling her in tight for an embrace; he kept his arm around her in a fatherly way.

Meredeth swallowed thickly at the casually intimate contact. It was always a little unsettling to feel so connected to Alejandro, not just because his son had his personality but also because he accepted her as a daughter the way he accepted Cam as a son. 'Alejo,' she asked quietly, 'what do you think of the name Maximillian?'

'I take it you and my boy are trying to find a name to suit your little one,' Alejandro deduced, giving her stomach a little pat. 'What if it's a girl?'

'I think it's going to be a boy. Friends of mine who both had boys said they had a lot of the same pregnancy symptoms I have, like the fidgeting in sleep.'

'Ah, yes. Never mess with motherhood folk wisdom.'

Meredeth laughed, and because it felt so homey, so comforting there, she closed her eyes as she pillowed her head on her father-in-law's shoulder.

Alejandro glanced down, saw she was drifting into sleep, and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch to wrap around her, much in the same way he'd done for Lili when she'd been a young thing. He dimmed the volume on the television and watched it quietly while he heard the low murmur of voices from the kitchen. When the front door opened, the decibel level of Esposito's voice was enough to wake the dead.

'Feliz Navidad everyone,' he hollered, bringing in the gift bags for the family from the trunk of the Nissan; he'd kept them there all day in the secure garage of the precinct. 'Where is everyone?'

'Shh! Your _carina _is sleeping,' Alejandro hissed as his boy walked into the living room, saw Meredeth bundled under the blanket and propped up against Alejandro. 'She's tuckered out from shopping and getting ready for Christmas. Why you let her work so much when she is pregnant?'

'If I try and stop her, she snaps that I'm babying her,' Esposito replied, removing his coat and gloves. Once his things were stowed, he sat down on the other side of Meredeth, gently moved her into his arms and heard her sigh as she snuggled against him.

'Javi?'

'Yes, my love, I'm right here.'

'You smell cold,' she sighed. 'Like fresh cold snow.'

'You smell like you're growing a human being inside you.' Esposito rubbed his hand over her belly as she dropped into sleep once again, noting that the baby was kicking slowly; it was probably napping too. 'Want me to wake you for dinner?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Did I hear you come in, Javi, because...' Rosalita trailed off when she saw her son with his girl asleep against him and wrapped in a warm blanket against his body. He was stroking her back gently and adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. 'Oh, poor girl's just out of it, huh?'

'She's been running around trying to get everything ready for Christmas and our day with our friends on the twenty-sixth.' Esposito stroked his hand over her shoulder as Meredeth's breath fluttered the collar of his shirt.

Lili appeared at her mother's elbow and sighed romantically. They made such a beautiful couple, she thought. Anyone who thought that domestic bliss was a thing of the past should stop in and visit them sometime. It wasn't perfect but their flaws and quirks made each other a little crazy and crazy for each other.

'Javi,' she hissed, making her brother glance over, his hands stay on Meredeth, 'we're ready to eat.'

'Okay. Mere, time for food, baby.'

Meredeth sat up like a zombie rising from the grave. 'I'm up,' she said in a groggy, sleep-slurred voice. 'I'm not sleeping through Christmas dinner.'

'Issat Mer'deth?'

Cam came walking in from one of the bedrooms, Rosie holding his hand. She was already dressed in her holiday pjs, clearly from one of Cam's military pals - cotton-candy pink camouflage and over the chest of the toddler-sized nightie read 'My First Word Was Oorah', and her curly black hair was in a Pebbles Flintstone ponytail. 'Hey, nice to know we're not the only ones in the snooze club.'

'Nooze,' Rosie agreed; she'd learned the word from Dell.

'Well, sleepy or not, dinner's on the table and Meredeth, we have a special bottle of something for you as well.'

Dinner, as expected, was a sumptuous feast with roasted pork and fried fish and the gravy and potatoes Rosalita had discovered Meredeth loved so much, along with empenadas and instead of salad, there was bite-sized shrimp mofongo. They finished the meal with Meredeth's contribution, a small parfait of pina colada sorbet, alcohol free, of course, so they would feel ready for dessert sooner than usual.

Once gathered under the tree, they let Rosie open her presents first, though Meredeth was convinced she just liked the tearing of the paper than what was actually in the boxes in spite of the fact they were filled with cute clothes or bright toys like the set of My Little Pony letter blocks from herself and Esposito.

'She just loves ponies,' Lili giggled when her daughter insisted on ripping the package open with Cam and lining up the blocks in some sort of weird inspection queue that seemed to make sense to the little darling. 'I think it's from letting her watch _Fantasia_.'

'You let your nineteen month old watch television, Lucita?' Alejandro asked his daughter, a little surprised.

'No, no, but when it's nap time and she's fussy, I'll put on Fantasia and we'll cuddle together watching the one with the Greek mythology creatures.'

'Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, the pastoral.' Meredeth nodded, sized up the sweets tray Rosalita had brought in. 'I like that one too. I put it on the iBump whenever I'm in the kitchen.'

'Gassy-ass.' Rosie stood up from her spot, and wobbled over to Meredeth and Esposito and hugged them both around the knees; they were both a little taken aback by what they heard coming from the toddler's mouth. 'Gassy-ass,' she repeated.

'Gassy-ass?'

Cam had to smother a laugh. 'We're trying to teach her Spanish and English in equal measure, and the word of the week is 'gracias', but she's mangled it a little.'

'Come here.' Esposito scooped his niece onto his knee, tickled her tummy so she squealed. 'Can you say 'baby'?'

'Baby.'

'Can you say _primo_?'

'Pee-mo.'

'R's are still a stumbling block,' Lili added for good measure, letting out an 'oof' when Rosie landed back in her lap, clacking together two of her blocks. 'But hopefully she'll grow out of it.'

As Rosie had started to yawn, Lili laid her in the short daybed with her blanket, giving her a little kiss so the grown-ups could have their turn to be kids. As per tradition, they started with stockings, which had Meredeth smiling appreciatively when she pulled out things like cute panties from Lili and custom index cards for Meredeth to put in her recipe box for dishes she created. There were the big gifts too, like the portable foot-bath complete with foot-specific soaps, and the audio-book copy of _Jarhead_ from Cam. They all cooed and laughed over the gifts Esposito distributed with his ridiculously cute cowboy Santa hat, and as usual, once the piles of shiny wrapped parcels were now piles of booty to be oogle Meredeth felt a little melancholy that the unwrapping part was all done.

'But there are still a few more under the tree there,' Cam commented, and made a show of inspecting the tags. 'These say 'To the Bump From Santa'. Hmm, wonder who these might be for,' he grinned, passing the parents-to-be the different-sized boxes.

Esposito shook his head; he knew what the super-small one was - he'd put it there - but he was curious about the other two. The first one turned out to be a onsie similar to the cute pjs Rosie was wearing - it was desert camo and read in chocolate-brown lettering 'Oorah for Uncles!'. 'A little career encouragement?'

'Good for boys and girls,' the lieutenant commented, stretching out his leg in the hopes his knee wouldn't cramp up.

'Oh, look at this!' Meredeth had opened the second box and found another onsie, this one bright blue with a lighter shade spelling out 'Yo Amo Mami y Papi' and underneath 'Jeg Elske Mama and Papa'. 'This is too precious.'

'Here.' Esposito nudge her back into the couch so that her belly looked like she'd stuck a beach ball underneath and draped the onsie over her stomach, then reached for their camera to take a few pictures of her. 'This one will go in the time-lapse for this week.'

'Funny guy. Help me,' she asked, holding out a hand for him to tug her back sitting upright. 'There's still one last one. You want to open it or me?'

'Actually, I wrapped this one up, so it's all you. This is something I know you've wanted to get for the baby for a while.'

Intrigued as to what could fit into the coaster-sized box that they would both consider essential to their unborn child, Meredeth slipped the ribbon off the box, lifted the lid. She lifted up the tissue paper and gasped.

'Javi! You got him to make it?'

'Make what?' Lili asked innocently, knowing the mother-to-be needed her moment to gush.

'Javi got Antonio to make the crib for us!' Meredeth turned around the photograph of the finished product to her sister-in-law to show off the last piece of the nursery's furniture they needed.

'I had to get the baby something big for Christmas.'

'Actually,' Rosalita smiled, putting her hand on her husband's knee. 'You didn't We did.'

Now Meredeth and Esposito stared at Rosalita. 'You what, Mami?' Esposito asked, confused.

'When you said you were getting Antonio to make the crib, we called him up, said your money was no good with him.' Alejandro cleared his throat. 'We bought Lili and Cam the crib for Rosie, and we wanted to do the same for you and your baby. Feliz Navidad.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	27. Family Christmas

'Merry Christmas!'

'Pass the remote, I'm not watching that!'

'She's getting so big!'

'When do we eat?'

Such were the sounds Meredeth heard when she passed through the living room to open the door to more guests. It was the annual Twelfth-Precinct Day of Christmas and for some reason, it felt like there was twice as many people, though truth be told, the only new additions were the two new babies; Carey was getting his first taste of Christmas at six and a half months while Robina and Gil's little girl was exactly one month and one day old.

She opened the door, saw it was none other than the new parents and big brother, and Meredeth thought for a moment that TJ had been doused by Axis Chemicals as he had the widest Joker-esque grin she'd ever seen on him as he held onto one side of the car-seat while his mother held the other.

'We're here!' he sang, stepping through the door and leading with his puffed up eight-year-old chest. 'Me and my new little sister are here!'

'And I'm what, the Tin Man?' Gil joked, kissing Meredeth's cheek as they filed in, helped TJ undress.

'Here, Mom.' Normally he would have run over to where Tim Thornton was occupying Arturo with hedonistic levels of belly rubs and making sure Dell didn't get crushed by the large dog, but TJ had different priorities today. 'I've got her.'

Meredeth smiled as she watched him gently set little Kelley on the flat stair and help take off her mittens and hat before unbuckling her to work on her coat zipper. 'You're quite good at that, TJ.'

'She's my little sister. I'm not letting anything happen to her.'

'Sounds like Dell.'

Meredeth glanced over her shoulder to see Esposito there, coming up behind her to hug her and give her a small kiss. 'This doesn't gross you out anymore, does it TJ?' he asked playfully; he remembered very well Gil's recounting of the slightly graphic conversation he'd been hog-tied into having with TJ about how babies were made.

'Nah, it's cool. But anyone thinks they're going to try that with Kelley, ever, they're going to get through me first.'

Meredeth watched him follow his mother into the kitchen as Robina had Kelley cuddled up on her shoulder now and shook her head. 'Yep, boy's definitely been taking notes from Dell Ryan.'

She turned around, gave her husband a peck on the cheek. 'Is that the sound of you pouring me a club soda with lime?'

'It's the sound of me telling Castle to do it for me so I can do this-' he kissed her lips this time '-all the better.'

'Hey, hey, this is a family affair, let's keep the candy-canes in our pants.'

They broke apart to see Ryan with two beers and a glass in his hand. 'Apple juice and ginger ale for you, Mere.'

'Thanks Kevin.' Meredeth took the glass and because the little one was doing a Christmas tap-dance inside, she wandered into the living room where the Super Mario Party tournament was taking place with Lili and Tim Thornton squaring off against Alexis and Honey-Milk, with Dell watching from the sidelines. When she sat on the end of the couch, he immediately scooted over and gave her belly a pat.

'Merry Kiss-Miss, baby,' he said, speaking directly to her stomach and giving it a little smooch. 'Kiss-Miss moosh. Baby feel happy?'

'Yes, the baby's happy today.'

'Yea baby. Wai', I have peasant.' Dell slithered off the couch, went over to where his little station of dino toys was set up and where Rosie was also playing with her blocks under Cam's watchful eye. He came back with his beloved t-rex, band-aid still on its claw and held up against Meredeth's stomach when he climbed back up beside her. He bopped the felt-covered nose lightly against the bump, grinned his charming little grin. 'Kiss-Miss moosh f'om rex.'

'Thank Dell.'

'Mama, Lego man?'

'Soon, baby. The grown-ups are almost done playing their game,' Honey-Milk reassured her son.

' 'Nacks?'

'Go ask Daddy.'

Dell pouted in concentration then cuddled against Meredeth. 'No, no hun-gee. I 'tay here wit' baby.'

True to his word, the little guy wouldn't let Meredeth move, and give how much twist-and-shout time the baby was having in her belly, she was perfectly fine with that; the turkey was almost done and soon the potatoes would be ready for mashing, the other vegetables were prepped and would take no time at all. When Lili came over and sat beside her, she went to move Dell out of the way so she could get Meredeth to turn and give her a foot massage but he refused to budge.

'I no leave.'

'Dell-'

'No!'

'Delaney.' At her son's sharp cry, Honey-Milk paused the game and turned around. 'You don't speak like that to a grown-up. Apologize.'

'So-wee, Lili.'

As Dell apologized and helped Lili massage the fluid out of Meredeth's legs and feet, Esposito darted a look over his shoulder in the kitchen and opened the oven. 'Dude, he hissed at Dave, who'd just arrived with his family, 'cover for me?'

'Sure?'

Dave glanced into the living room, watched Lanie kneel down beside Meredeth and pat her stomach to feel the baby really kicking. 'The mama is on her lilypad being worshipped. Why is this to be done in secret?'

'Because I'm not the best chef in the world and when we're getting this place ready for everything, my job is cleaning, hers is in here but I don't want her overdoing it.' Esposito drank his beer, then slapped Dave on the shoulder. 'Hey,' you guys wanna see the nursery? It's pretty much ready to go.'

'Sure.' Castle grabbed a slice of cheese and a cracker for the road trip as the men all filed upstairs to the room. As he opened the door, they all whistled lowly in appreciation.

'Dude, this is gorgeous. Well done, Kristof,' Ryan commented, looking around at the fish; even he hadn't been permitted to see it until the last furniture had arrived for set up on Christmas Eve, though he couldn't blame his partner for wanting to keep the surprise. He saw the addition of the cherry-wood and sighed. 'This is great craftsmanship.'

'Same guy that did Carey's for us?' Dave asked.

'Yeah, perfect for Esperenza or Tessiana.'

'Wait.' Castle paused, turned to look at the father-to-be. 'You've got names already picked out? You knw it's a girl?'

Esposito shook his head. 'No, we don't. But I have a feeling it's a girl, but Mere thinks it's a boy. So I've been thinking up girl's names and she's been working on boys names.'

'Esperenza is good, but Tessiana? Where'd that come from?'

'We were watching _Hotel Rwanda_ and the dude's wife, her name is spelled 'T-A-T-I-A-N-A' but since they speak French, it's pronounced 'Tess-ee-ah-nah' and I really like that name, and so does she, so it's in the keeper column.'

'What about family names?' Ike asked, running his hands over the smooth finish of the crib. 'Carol's dad is Doug, and Tim's the first grandson on her side so he's Timothy Douglas Thornton.'

'I know for Rosie, there had to be some kind of Maria or Marie

'Tessiana Marie,' Esposito said, rolling it off his tongue. 'I like that.'

'And what if Meredeth's right and it's a boy?' Castle said. 'I was dead certain Alexis was going to be a boy because she was overdue and she was a pretty big baby, not as big as Kelley but still big enough.'

Esposito shrugged. 'Ask her, I get to pick names for a girl.'

'Nothing to whorey. No Samanthas, Britneys or Lindsays.'

'Agreed.'

As they went back downstairs, Esposito saw that some space had free up on the couch and he parked himself beside Meredeth, who was intensely trying to figure out how to escape the marketplace in Cairo on the Lego Wii. He grinned, rubbed his hand in circles over her stomach. 'You cracked and gave in to Dell, huh?'

'Actually, it was TJ who wanted to play. Stop that, please.'

'What?'

Meredeth paused the game, patted his hand. 'That. I have gas and I can't get the bubbles out so no touching right, please.'

'Of course babe.'

'What were you guys talking about upstairs when you showed off the baby's room?'

'Oh the usual,' he said, kissing her and getting up again when he heard Gil bellow that the oven timer had gone off again. 'Monster trucks and video games.'

* * *

For the first time in her life, Meredeth felt no innate convulsion when she was prohibited from staying on her feet in the kitchen. Instead, she hauled over one of the bar-stools to the stove and stirred the gravy as her husband and the rest of the guests not attached to small children or electronics took bread and sweet corn, and roasted yams and steamed asparagus and the two kinds of stuffing into the dining room to use the long table as the buffet service. When Meredeth was finished with the gravy, Castle did the honours of slicing the bird for presentation.

'I know it's your house, bro,' he said to Esposito, sharpening the carving knife and slicing magazine-perfect portions, 'but with your kitchen skills, we'd be having blood-spattered turkey, which is fine if your name is Hannibal Lecter or Dexter Morgan. Okay, you ready with that gravy, Mama Mere-Bear?'

'Mere-Bear, I gotta remember htat one,' Esposito chuckled, helping her up from her seat.

'We're good to go.'

They gathered in the dining room, where Castle put the turkey in the centre of the table, then had everyone join hands as he did the blessing; again, because he seemed to be the Godfather to their ever-growing family, he was given the honour of saying grace instead of

'Heavenly spirits, thank you for bringing us all here together once again, with old faces, new faces and faces we've yet to see-' at this one, Esposito rubbed the back of his hand linked with Meredeth's over her bump '-thank you for Meredeth's amazing cooking and thank even more for keeping Esposito out of the kitchen. We ask for another year of laughter, joyful tears, best-sellers, good food, healthy children and of course, the safe arrival of Meredeth and Esposito's little one.'

The group murmured an 'amen' before they all grabbed plates; Meredeth had made sure there was something for everyone: there was eggplant and mushroom made into meatless balls for Robina, Cam and Ryan, and smothered in the veggie-friendly turkey gravy, they tasted fantastic, or so Cam said to Esposito, along with the vegetarian friendly stuffing. Robina, being in the second month of nursing a newborn, loaded her plate with carbs, while Honey-Milk and Beckett had modest sized portions of whipped potatoes and made double-stacked turkey sandwiches with hot gravy out of the buttermilk bread Meredeth had baked. Alexis had taken it upon herself to help Rosie with her little while Tim gave Dell a hand, listening carefully when he said yes or no to various things, double checking with Honey-Milk or Ryan that they were safe for Dell's diabetic diet.

They spread themselves out wherever there was space, and normally Meredeth liked to be in the living room but the physics of the bump wouldn't permit it so she opted for the kitchen with Gil and Cam and Robina and Lanie, who was letting Carey have his first bit of gravy.

'Oh, is that good? Yeah, I bet it is, Auntie Merry's gravy is like turkey soup. Yum yum yum,' she cooed at the boy, who flapped his arms excitedly in the high chair.

'I hope Kelley's that well behaved when she gets to be six-months,' Robina sighed, watching her new daughter in her car seat while she ate her meat-less balls and stuffing. 'Mere, you outdid yourself on the mushrooms, they are great.'

'Glad you think so,' Meredeth replied, her fork working overtime. Today she just couldn't get enough to eat, it seemed, but then she was used to eating small meals over the day rather than big sit-down affairs like this. She paused only when she felt a solid kick and resumed eating a little slower. 'I'm sorry, baby,' she murmured, rubbing the spot on her belly where the foot had landed, 'I'll eat a little slower.'

'Yeah, don't rush it Mere,' Cam advised. 'Best way to make yourself sick and you definitely don't want that, not right now.'

'I did that once, I was at the dinner table with Dave, I went to burp and I actually threw up everywhere, it was so unpleasant.' Lanie wrinkled her nose as she remembered that ordeal. 'Not something the baby books prepared Dave for. Have you gotten signed up for your birthing class?'

'Yes, we start at the beginning of February, back-up coach.' Meredeth smiled. 'I know it's still dicey having you there, but between the two of you, we should be able to get through it no problem.'

'And Honey-Milk's going to be there in the delivery room?' Gil asked, keeping one ear on the conversation and an eye on Kelley, who was making the cutest little noises in her seat.

'I don't know. We've still got another month to decide about that.'

Lanie nodded, dabbed a napkin at the corner of Carey's mouth. 'Keep in mind too, birth plans can't be set in stone, sometimes things need to be flexible. Not like, say, Gil and Robina,' she gestured to the new parents, 'that is pretty much a given that theirs needed to be done the way it was, but since you're having a push-birth, they nurses in the birthing class will tell you that being stubborn about your birth plan can actually cause problems.'

'It's true.' Cam swallowed his stuffing and potatoes with a swig of hard cider. 'I had one couple who were adamant that they did not want any pharmaceutical intervention, but the mother had the tense-fear cycle going on and she was crying by four centimetres and her husband wanted her to have the drugs but she said no, no, no, and we ended up having to do an emergency c-section on her because her heart was working so hard in overtime.'

'I've already decided I'm going to be shot up like a rocket,' Meredeth said, not wanting to dwell on the notion of her lady-parts being split and stretched like a-

'Merry! All fin-ish!'

The group looked over at Dell who'd walked in with his dirty plate in his hands, holding it up to Gil who was closest to the sink. 'Thanks little bro.'

'Wel-kim.' Dell, ever the charmer and hoping he could use it on his favourite mama-to-be, hugged her around the knees. 'Af'er San'a, Lego man?'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	28. Turkey Talk

After Secret Santa was finished - and as per tradition there was a pair of lacy underthings that wound up in the mix, this time landing with Dave receiving a cute pink and purple thong-and-bra set - the group began to settle and disperse for home, while others stayed behind help with the kitchen clean-up while Meredeth directed traffic from a seat at the kitchen table beside Lanie, who had taken over foot-duty from Lili.

'Hey, Mere, where do you want the carver set?' Beckett asked; she'd been so quiet throughout the meal that she'd practically been a ghost.

'Top drawer closest to the fridge,' Meredeth replied as Lanie worked her foot muscles until she didn't know whether to cry tears of relief or ecstasy. 'Oh, that is so nice, Lan. You are good with your hands.'

'Dave thinks so too,' she replied with a wink, making Meredeth giggle. 'There's a man who likes a good foot rub, his work-boots are shit. Why, what you think I meant?'

'It's the hormones, they've taken over my brain. All I can think about is sex lately.'

'Lately?' Esposito looked over his shoulder as he put away cleaned plates. 'Try the last two and a half months.'

'And who is it that goes off to arrest the Big Apple's big bad wolves with their engine tuned and humming, me or you?'

'I wasn't complaining, I'm just saying it ain't some recent development, Mere.'

Because she knew he was trying to tease her deliberately, she batted her lashes at him. 'I love you, Javi,' she said in a coy, sweet voice.

'Love you too Mere.'

Lanie laughed, fondly remembering the way she'd always been ready for some loving from her hubby; though they weren't married, she thought of him that way. 'Either way. Hey, how are you liking the iBump?'

'Oh, I love it, Lanie, thank you so much for lending it to me. We've gone through all of H.G. Wells, both _Fantasias_, _Treasure Island, The Little Prince, Lilo and Stitch_, and we're also working _Heroes_, which Javi calls junk food for the baby.'

'That kid pops out sounding like What's-His-Name Nakamura, heads will roll,' Esposito teased her again, drying his hands on the towel and coming over to kiss the top of his wife's head, brushing his fingertips over the bump. 'Feeling better?'

'Much. Eating helped. And opening presents.'

'You'll look fabulous in that scarf,' Lanie commented. 'I got a bottle of wine and I can't drink it yet because I'm still nursing a little bit.'

'Someone came to say goodnight.'

The four in the kitchen looked over to see Gil and Robina bundled into their outer-gear, TJ beside them dressed the same and holding Kelley in her car seat. In all the action and with Dell more or less cutely holding her belly hostage, Meredeth hadn't gotten to see much of the new Mini-Mazzara, which oddly made her think of pizza. She was a big girl, no question but she was a beautiful baby, and TJ was so proud of her.

'She's got a full tummy and she's ready for home,' the big brother declared as everyone crowded around to say good-nights. 'But she's a party-goer and she had to come and give kisses first.'

'Javier, thanks for everything, great spread as always,' Gil said, patting his pal on the shoulder. 'Take care, we'll see you after Christmas, okay?'

'You got it.'

'Say night-night, Kell-Bell.' TJ gently picked up Kelley's little hand and waved it slowly. 'Night-night.'

They all waved bye-bye and when they'd gone, Beckett and Esposito both heard a little sniffling sound from the kitchen table. Turning, they saw Meredeth was dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a napkin Lanie had passed her.

'Oh, Mere, it's okay,' Esposito went over to her, rubbed her back. 'I know, it's the hormones isn't, my love.'

'That and I'm just so happy for them. They've come so far,' she said in a squeaky whisper.

'Oh, I don't know, I still think Castle and I hold the gold medal blue ribbon on couples who've made the most progress,' Beckett commented, making her friend laugh. 'Not saying the rest of you don't work hard on your relationships, but-'

'All it took was Ryan and Honey-Milk eloping to get you guys even started,' Lanie finished, going to the fridge to pull out pitchers of juice to make a soft cocktail for Meredeth. 'And after that, Esposito felt left out so he got Castle to set him up on a blind date, which led to him meeting Meredeth, and that led to me meeting Dave.'

'And through Meredeth, Gil met Robina. Life has it's funny little turns, doesn't it?' Beckett smiled.

'What's got you so philosphical? You're not knocked up are you?' Lanie asked, pouring pineapple juice into the silver martini shaker.

'No, no, just thinking. The holidays make me miss my mother a little more than usual, especially this one being my first as a married lady.' The detective looked down to admire her rings, the ones she never thought she'd wear, certainly not from Richard Castle of all people. 'She'd like this, though, a big house full of laughter and people and food and love.'

'Excuse me, Meredeth?'

Meredeth glance over to the kitchen doorway, saw Ryan standing with Dell in his arms; the toddler was in his pjs and clutching his t-rex like his life depended on it. 'What's up?'

'Someone has something to say to you.'

Ryan set his son down and the toddler wandered over, setting his t-rex on the table before putting his Meredeth's stomach and hovering his little mouth an inch away.

'Merry Kiss-Miss baby. Love you,' he whispered in the way of children, so everyone in the room could hear, and pecked her bump about an inch away from her belly-button. 'O-kay, nigh' nigh' ev-ee-one.'

Esposito felt his heart melt clean into goo as he watched the littlest Ryan take his toy and walk back to his father; when they heard the two sets of footsteps on the stairs he went over to Meredeth who was openly sobbing, and pulled her to her feet, wrapped his arms around her. 'Aw, baby, it's okay.'

'That kid...h-he's just...so...so sweet and lovely,' she wept, 'and the damn hormones are m-making me over-r-react to every damn thing. Remember th-the _Star Trek_ inci-ident?'

'How could I forget?'

'What happened?' Beckett and Lanie had both turned around at the sound of Meredeth's distraught voice; they'd never heard her like this, not even when she'd found out about her biological father dying. 'Mere?'

'I came home from work one night and Meredeth was lying in bed crying as she was watching a movie, so I laid down with her, asking why she's watching somethign that's making her bawl her eyes out. Then the theme music kicks in and I figure out she's watching J.J. Abrams' _Star Trek_.'

The laugh escaped from Beckett and Lanie's noses before they could stop it. 'I'm sorry girl, you were crying over _Star Trek?_' Beckett snickered, going back to the Lanie drinks station and rattling the martini shaker Lanie left sitting there. '_Star Trek_, like with the Spock and the Kobayashi Maru and the beam-me-up-Scotty?'

'Hey, if the opening of the J.J. Abrams' film doesn't make you cry, or at least choke up, you have no soul.'

'Gotta say I'm with Meredeth on this one,' Lanie agreed, scratching her chin while Lanie poured their beverages into three glasses. 'Even Castle got sniffly at little Kirk without his dad the first time we watched it together.'

'That's okay, remember _The Notebook_, Javi?' Beckett gave Esposito a wicked grin. There was nothing more she loved to do than remind him that he and his partner had both reached for the Kleenex.

Esposito sneered, let go of Meredeth with a parting rub on her bump. 'I need to go find men to do manly things with. Even the dog will do right now.'

* * *

When it was time for ten o'clock turkey, the only ones who remained were Castle, Beckett, Alexis, Honey-Milk and Ryan, with Dell asleep in the guest room upstairs. The Ryans were spending the night and the Beckett-Castles were leaving that night to fly to California on the one-am red-eye to visit Meredeth's mother before the epic Castle new Years party on the thirty-first. As Dell was still wakeful in the night, the guys had set up their X-Box tournament in the guest room while Dell napping on his trundle bed in the nursery, leaving the girls to gather in the kitchen. They were drinking warm cran-apple cider while Meredeth chased around fat slices of turkey in the pot and Alexis kept an eye on the bread toasting on the griddle beside a pile of leftover potatoes being turned into home-fries.

'So, you're almost at six months, Mere, how does that feel? Honey-Milk asked, relieved her son was staying asleep through the night and not dreaming.

'Spooky, I can't believe how quickly it's going.'

'Any feeling whether it's a boy or a girl?'

'I think it's a boy,' she replied. 'It feels pretty big in there, and boys are usually bigger. I mean, I know Dell wasn't but he was a little earlier to the party than we thought he'd be.'

'True enough. How are you feeling physically?'

'Good. Tired but that I kind of expected to never really go away, so that isn't anything big to me, and not having to go into an office, being able to work from home is a major plus for getting my rest. The weight gain hasn't been much through the second trimester, since my body's metabolism adjusted for the extra party in here. I've only added about another six or seven pounds, which has been really good'

'I think it's whatever the baby needs to do, it makes sure the mother does it.' Alexis put the crunchy bread onto a plate, blushed a little when she felt the other women look at her. 'I mean, I know I've never had a baby before, but it makes sense, right? The baby decides it's going to grow to this size and get here on this date, at this time, and the mother's kinda working around that.'

'I see where you're coming from, Alexis,' Beckett smiled. 'Like when we know we have our suspect in custody and we have to retrace how he did it.'

'Kind of.'

Mostly, though, I just can't get over how much I just want to jump on Javi all the friggin' time. I mean I knew the hormones were going to make me a little nutty and hornier than usual but this isn't exactly...' Meredeth trailed off, noting that Alexis had made a point of studying the potatoes with far more attention than necessary. 'Sorry, Lex.'

'It's okay. In fact, I think I'm going to go give Sloan a call, see what her plans are for New Years.'

The pretty young woman beat a hasty retreat, making Meredeth feel more than a little embarrassed, but it didn't last long when Honey-Milk gave her friend a knowing wink. 'It's okay to feel like this, Mere. Lord knows I did.'

'Really?'

'Oh yeah.' Honey-Milk took a sip from her cider, then continued. 'There were days when I thought 'man, if I don't find my husband soon, I'm going to blow up', those were usually the nights before he went to work yawning a little extra in the morning.'

'I remember that,' Beckett smiled, leaning against the island. 'He'd come in looking a little bedraggled but oddly satisfied and fully of piss and vinegar for Esposito and Castle.'

Meredeth, ever the inquisitive sort, banged her stirring spoon on the lip of the saucepan and turned off the burner. 'How often did you guys...you know?'

'Like we normally did, it was just a little more...intense on my part, being so charged up with baby.'

'And how did you work around the bump?'

'A lot of spooning, and positions where he was, ah, behind me,' Honey-Milk said at length, knowing details of this personal nature weren't the kind that Becket wanted to hear about her co-worker. 'Sorry, Beckett, she asked.'

'Oh, it's okay, it doesn't bother me like it used to. Kinda hard to give them both shit when one got his wife knocked up the day after I got married and the other is already a father.' Beckett sniffed like a hound when Meredeth slide the turkey onto the toast, adding potatoes on the side. 'Should we ask the guys if they want some?'

'No, there's more than plenty, and I don't want them interrupting our girl-talk with Meredeth.' Honey-Milk's stomach gave a gurgle as she drew her fingertip over the edge of the pan where gravy had dripped and she licked it off her fingers. 'She needs the down-and-dirty chat-time with us to help handle the extra hormones, and she'll get it. Just like when you and Castle have a baby we'll do the same for you.'

Beckett passed Honey-Milk a plate of sandwich and potatoes. 'Fair enough. So long as we don't get too graphic, not like her bachelorette party. 'Dolphin' still makes me blush now'

'So, Mere, you were saying about the bump? How have you and Javi handled it, romantically speaking?' Honey-Milk asked.

'It's a toss up, because on the one hand, he likes my back to be supported by the mattress, but on the other, he wants to be able to...you know, deep-sea dive when we're making love.'

'Ah, yeah, that can be tricky. Have you tried pillows?'

'How would pillows help?' Beckett inquired around a mouthful of turkey and gravy.

'Changes the angle under the hips.'

Meredeth nodded, adding pepper to her potatoes. 'Yeah, we do that a lot, and surprisingly, there's a lot of shower sex, because it's easy, right?'

'Hugely. Plus, showering can be slippery at first for afirst-time pregnant woman since your centre of balance is changing.'

'Beckett cleared her throat at the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs, and minutes later, the three Musketeers were all filing into the kitchen.

'You Hiding Heathers,' Castle admonished them lightly, putting his hands on Beckett's hips. 'You were going to take all the leftover-sandwichy goodness for yourselves.'

'Alexis is upstairs, by the by,' Ryan added, sizing up the leftover mushroom-balls and veggie friendly gravy in the fridge. 'What were you talking about that had her rushing off with red cheeks?'

Ever the quick one and with a full medical arsenal at her disposal, Honey-Milk piped up, 'The usual birthing type things. Epidurals and c-sections, and of course episiotomies.'

All three grimaced; Ryan closed the door. 'Well, there goes my appetite.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	29. Another Booster Needed: 25 Weeks

There was no better cure for a brutally bitter January day, in Meredeth's mind, than a nice hot bowl of homemade soup. Knowing her husband as she did, he would come home cranky after getting called at four am for a body when the windchill made the temperature drop into the twenties-Fahrenheit and spending the day on canvass with Ryan in Turtle Bay going in and out of heated buildings. The plus side was that with his shaved head, he didn't have to worry about a quick shower giving him wet hair. So she'd make the day a little better and have his second favourite soup ready for him when he returned home.

Sure enough, at quarter to seven, she heard the dog trot to the door seconds before it opened. She felt the baby do a little tap dance and couldn't blame it for being excited; after all, she was happy to see her man home safely too.

'Hey baby.'

'Hi Mere.'

She could hear the fatigue in his voice, plain as day, but there was also a little note of sadness. Looking up from where she'd started cutting bread for toast, she saw him looking as off as he felt. 'Bad day?'

'No, good day. Easy case to close this morning, so I spent the day working on paperwork for other cases.'

'So why the long face?'

'I have a massive headache from staring at my computer screen. There's something wrong.'

Concern seeped into Meredeth's gut. 'Something wrong with...?'

'My eyes. I think I need glasses.'

'Oh, babe, is that it?'

The moment it was out of her mouth Meredeth knew it was the wrong thing to say, for Esposito's hand froze on the door of the fridge and he leveled her with a look. 'I just meant-'

'I know, but it's different when you're a cop. You gotta be quick and sharp, notice the details, and it's not like you can say, sorry, my glasses were foggy, or shit like that.'

'No. That's not it.' Meredeth studied the tension in his face, the melancholy fighting around his mouth and eyes. 'I know you and this isn't job related. What's wrong with needing glasses?'

'Because I don't want to look old.' Esposito slammed the door, and despite feeling like a petulant child turned around to face her. Seeing her, so beautiful and worried about him somehow made him feel a little better about having this conversation with her. 'I was trying to read reports on-screen today and Ryan suggested I might be in the market for some reading glasses and it hit me. I'm going to be forty just a few weeks after the baby's born. When my father was forty, I was six and Lili was three. I'll be fifty and have a ten year old.'

'Do you think that matters to me?'

'It matters to me, Mere.' He'd felt worse about himself in past years, but he'd never thought he'd feel like this for her. 'I don't want to be at some school concert or soccer game and have people thinking that I'm there to cheer on my granddaughter or grandson or something.'

'Okay, think of this. You remember my friend Anna from college?'

'Right, her wife's the film editor.'

'You'd agree she's a good-looking woman in her prime, right?'

Esposito squirmed a little. 'Yeah, if you go for that cream-and-ebony look.'

'You wouldn't know it to look at her but she's had severe astigmatism since she was nine and wears bifocal contact lenses. She's blind as a bat without them, can barely hold her hand an inch from her nose without it being out of focus.'

'But she's like, what, thirty-four?'

'Just turned thirty-five in December. When we'd get drunk in grad school, we'd put on her glasses, it was like an acid trip.' Meredeth went over to him, took his hand - the one with their wedding ring on it - in hers, laid her other hand on his chest. She wasn't surprised to find the heavy thudding there. 'And if that doesn't convince you, look at your pal Gil.'

'Gil?'

'Mm-hmm. Gil's six years older than you and he just had a baby with his forty-year-old girlfriend. If my math's right, that means he'll be a senior citizen in the eyes of the law by the time Kelley graduates high school.'

Put like that, Esposito felt even more immature about the possibility of needing reading glasses. Gil hadn't once dwelt on the age factor in his relationship with Robina and TJ, he was simply excited to be having kids at all. They probably wouldn't have anymore but the fact he'd been able to make a child with Robina was more than enough to make Gil feel like the luckiest man in the world, and the idea that he'd gotten his family in his forties, far later than Esposito and Meredeth.

Dragging a hand over his head, he sighed as he kissed her forehead, held Meredeth close. 'I'm sorry for snapping, Mere. It just hit me when Ryan mentioned it, I've always been a slow starter. I got my driver's license late, first drunk, first kiss, first time having sex, all of those major manly things you're supposed to do by the time you're twenty, I didn't do them that way.'

'And you also remember when we first started dating and I told you I hadn't been with a man in six years? Does that make me defective?'

'No. But...' Esposito trailed off a weighty sigh, held his girl close. 'I'm sorry, Mere, I really am. I'm not this guy, I'm not used to this.'

'Even your bullet-proof Bat-suit of an ego is susceptible to knives.'

The fact Meredeth still thought of him like this when he was feeling a little sorry for himself made him love her a little more, though he didn't know that was possible. 'I made an appointment tomorrow to see the optometrist. Can you come with, in case I have to pick some frames out?'

'Of course.' She raised their joined hands, pressed her lips to it so she kissed his wedding ring. 'We're here for you.'

* * *

'Okay, Javier, sit back and we'll talk.'

Doctor Ennis flipped on the lights in the examination room as Esposito sat back from the eye-examination gizmos. From the first time he'd gone the optometrist's office had freaked him out: everyone in his classes had lived in terror of the dentist but for little Javi Esposito, seeing the complicated rigs when he went for his ocular check-ups was akin to a torture chamber.

'So what's the word, doc?'

'Relax, young man, you're not going blind.' Ennis shook his head; he'd never had a patient more paranoid about losing his vision. 'You simply needed some low power reading glasses. Your eyes have barely changed enough to note it in your file, and getting you set up with some lenses will keep it that way so you don't need them full time.'

'So, what kinds of things would I be wearing them for?'

'The biggest thing is computer screens and fine-print books and papers, video games if you like.'

'So like if I have to read warrants and that, but not if I have to draw my weapon.'

'Precisely. Your insurance will cover the frames, too. I'll file the paperwork from your visit and if you'll meet me in the reception area, we can go over some selections.'

Ennis left, and Esposito slumped back, breathing a sigh of relief. It wasn't the news he'd wanted, that he'd just been overworking his eyes, but at least he wouldn't need to wear them all the time. Over in the waiting chair, he saw Meredeth gave him a reassuring smile.

'See? Not so bad.'

'No horn-rims.'

Meredeth laughed. 'No.'

They went out to the small area of the office partitioned off for frame sales and Esposito immediately went to the rimless frames. He'd seen the Captain wearing them when they were going over paperwork, remembered he'd always thought his boss looked very distinguished and in charge when he wore them and no less a cop.

Meredeth could sense the shift in him, that he was feeling much less sunk under with Ennis' diagnosis of his vision change, and made it her mission to ensure he had the hottest look possible. For a moment, she wondered if this was how he felt when she'd gotten so down about her weight changes. Maybe this was why they made such a good team - they had each other's backs when they got the blues, sure, but they also made it a very personal investment to make the other feel confident and good about themselves once they'd gotten through their initial wallowing.

'Mere?'

'Sorry, babe, I'm listening now.'

'I don't want a whole frame,' Esposito said, shaking his head. 'The look just doesn't...I don't think I'd pull it off.'

'Let's see? Oh yeah, that's not you,' she agreed when he donned the glasses with whole black frames surrounding the lenses. 'What about rimless?'

'I don't know, let's give it a try.' He picked up a pair of frames, slipped them on to study himself in the mirror. 'No.'

'Why not? I think those look dashing.'

'No. My eyes look like fried eggs. No.'

They went through this process for nearly an hour, him being in favour of some styles, her of others but all reaching the same conclusions - they just weren't quite it and when picking a first pair of glasses, feeling confident in them was everything.

'What about these, Javi?' Meredeth massaged her belly where the baby was kicking away good and strong as she reached up for a pair of oval half-frames in stainless steel, passed them to him. 'They're in between.'

Esposito slid them on and for the first time since setting foot in the small sales room grinned his usual cocky grin. 'Now we're talking, Mere. But there's something still just not it. We're a hell of a lot closer but not quite there.'

'These are the same brand, just a different shape,' Meredeth read on the little display card, handing him another pair. 'These are the square ones as opposed to the oval.'

Esposito switched them out and studying himself in the mirror, felt the rush of confidence he got when he looked at himself in the mirror after a good work-out and could see the difference it made. He was wearing one of his suits today - camel-hair brown with the chocolate-and-gold striped tie - and as he turned side to side, saw he had a dashing, intelligent look.

'That's it.'

'Yeah?' Meredeth came up behind him, saw him checking himself out in the mirror and felt her heart-rate quicken, her stomach muscles loosen a little. 'Oh yeah. That's it for sure, baby. Like Indiana Jones, who I'll also point out wore glasses and he's as big a bad-ass as anyone I know.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, and also,' she stretched to her tip-toes to give his cheek a kiss near the earlobe as she whispered, 'it makes me wanna loosen that tie of yours and find out what kind of sexy secrets you've got hidden under your suit.'

There was no better compliment in Esposito's mind, to hear that the glasses which made him feel aged made his beautiful Danish angel want to throw him down and rip his clothes off. 'Then perhaps later tonight, we can play treasure hunters. I'll show you my whip.'

'Dirty boy. It's a date.'

Meredeth gave him a kiss, that ended on a little groan; Esposito immediately went to alert.

'Are you okay?'

'Yeah, just a big kick to the ribs, that's all. Uncomfortable more than painful.'

'You want anything after we're done here? Steak? Soup? A fro-yo?'

'Oh, fro-yo.' Meredeth could already feel the drool forming in her mouth as he said the words. 'At Yo Mama's. Green tea with almonds and raspberries.'

It sounded perfectly disgusting to him, but Esposito knew from listening to Lanie, Honey-Milk and his sister that pregnant women had inexplicable cravings and the best thing to do was just go along with it. Even if it meant the combinations would make the most seasoned gourmets cry tears of agony. 'I think I'd go for Dutch chocolate with caramel crunchy bits and walnuts.'

'Of course, because you're a choco-holic.'

'How are we doing, Javier, any closer to a selection?' Ennis, now in between appointments, popped in to see if the stubborn man had picked out a pair.

'Yeah, I'm going to take these ones.' Esposito passed him the frames, which had Ennis nodding approval.

'Marks and Spencer, stainless steel, compressed polarized lenses. Very nice indeed. We should have them ready within the week. In the meantime, I suggest you make the zoom feature on your computer screens your best friend.'

* * *

After the quick stop at Yo Mama's, where Meredeth did indeed get the green tea fro-yo with almonds and raspberries, Meredeth and Esposito down Fifth Avenue towards the subway home when Meredeth stopped, licking her spoon.

'Oh, can we go in?'

Esposito eyed up the building, smiled. 'Of course, my love.'

Meredeth smiled as he held open the door for her, and walking into Tiffany's she sighed romantically. She loved this place, it never failed to make her feel glamorous. A quick glance over and she saw the woman at one of the engagement ring counters looking slightly bored until she caught their eye.

'Javi!' Francesca bounded over in her needle-thin shoes with such ease, Meredeth suspected the girl trained on a Stairmaster in them. 'And Meredeth, you look great! How many months to go?'

'Start of April, so about four.'

'Are you in here shopping?'

'No, just browsing,' Esposito replied, gave his wife a little playful squeeze. 'Meredeth can't resist shiny things.'

'Correction, I can't resist shiny Tiffany things, even if I own a grand total of four pieces.'

'Okay, well, if you want to have a look at baby things, that's floor five.' Francesca looped an arm through Meredeth's, guided her over to the elevator while Esposito followed them. 'Nino,' she told the well-tailored man inside, 'these are my cousins, they are browsing baby gifts for their little one.'

'Excellent, Francesca.' The doors closed and up they went. When they stepped off on floor five, Meredeth sighed over the cute little silver cups and spoon sets all displayed in style.

'Oh, water water everywhere. Oh, Javi, look at this!' Meredeth immediately zoomed in on the display of Limoges boxes, each one displaying an initial and an animal corresponding. 'That'd be a great gift, even if it doesn't match the nursery.'

'I'll tell the stork, maybe see what we can do.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	30. The Little Things

'Doctor Jones. Indy. Doctor Jones. Indy.'

Esposito stood in front of Meredeth's mirror in his sleep pants, putting his reading glasses on and off and murmuring to himself. He'd had them exactly four days and was getting used to them now. The guys at work had all told him it made him look smart, and Ryan, ever his wise-cracking self, commented how it was about time something did. And, okay, he had noticed the new plainsclothes detective from Robbery give him the once over in the elevator down to the garage on his way home that day. But he'd really liked the way that Meredeth had described it as the professor/treasure hunter look to him. He knew his Meredeth the Movie-Nut and her taste, and that the only superhero more awesome than Batman in her mind was Indiana Jones.

So he indulged himself, as she talked to her grandmother on Skype - Constance's companion Terrance had worked in IT prior to retiring so he was up on all the latest gadgetry and had shown her how to use a webcam for chatting with Meredeth in New York - and showed off the nursery, by imagining he was the Puerto Rican answer to the rugged-WASP that was Harrison Ford.

'Doctor Jones. Indy. Doctor Jones. Indy,' he continued, not hearing Meredeth come back in until he smelled her perfume nearby.

'So if you're a raider of the Lost Ark, does that make me Willie or Ilsa?'

'Are you kidding?' Esposito took the glasses off, set them on the vanity table nearby, the turned to wrap his arm around her back. 'If I'm Indy, you're straight up Marion Ravenwood.'

'Really?'

'Oh yeah.' Esposito lowered his mouth to kiss her once, twice very sweetly. 'You know what I'm thinking?'

'What?'

'You are in desperate need of a massage.'

'Oh, babe, I don't know if I'm up to it tonight. I feel all big and puffy, and a little anxious since we're getting the amnio results tomorrow morning.'

'No, no, that wasn't code for sex. Are you kidding me, after the day I had I'm lucky to stand myself up, nevermind other parts of me.' Esposito walked her over to the bed, reached under her side for their toy box and pulled out the jar of coconut oil. 'I just want to put my hands on you.'

'Mmm, now that does sound very fun.'

He tugged her nightie over her head, not surprised to find her now completely naked, and ran his hand over her smooth skin, starting at the shoulder and moving down over her breasts, to her bump where he could feel the baby moving slowly underneath as if to trace the pattern he wanted to follow on his beautiful pregnant wife.

'That's a little chilly,' she giggled when the oil hit her skin.

'I can tell, you could cut diamonds with those drill bits,' he teased her, pointing to her breasts. He rubbed his hands together to get them warmed up, then smoothed them over the oil, working it into her skin. She sighed pleasurably under his touch, making him marvel at the beauty of her. Here she was, almost seven months pregnant with his baby and still craving his touch, his hands on her body. There was nothing so gorgeous in his life.

Meredeth closed her eyes, breathing deep the scent of the oil and of her man. When she opened her eyes to study him, her heart gave a great leap against her ribs at the concentrated yet relaxed expression he had, as if making her feel good was the most important thing in the universe. Every day, when Meredeth felt herself get just a little bigger, she would look at him and see the skippy-joy-joy love he watched her with and still be dazzled that such a fine specimen of a man would look at her like that.

'Javi?'

'Hmm?'

'I love you.'

'I love you too Mere.'

Esposito smiled, and resting his palm on her bump, covered her mouth with his. Her lips were soft and yielding under his and he traced an outline of them with his tongue. Her hand rested against his cheek to keep him close as she kissed him back, sighing in her throat as she did; the liquid rush in her veins made her feel awake and alive.

'You're tasty,' he murmured. 'My own little pina colada.'

'In a tulip glass.'

'With a nice surprise inside. That feel nice?'

'Oh baby, I think I just had a small orgasm.'

Esposito smiled. 'Good thing this is all were getting tonight, we might kill each other and live our little one an orphan.'

He continued to touch her and love her, and okay, they were only human, he thought with a smile; he couldn't resist his Meredeth naked no matter how pregnant she felt or how unattractive she thought she was. Her skin was soft and dewy as fresh silk and it shone with a motherly glow, though half the time Meredeth claimed that was sweat. He carefully dried off his fingers so he wouldn't track oil where it shouldn't go and carefully slipped his hand between her thighs. He saw her eyes pop wide in surprise, then go sly with lust as she shifted and opened for him.

He stroked her with the languid, lazy touch that told Meredeth they had all night to do this if necessary, but she knew her body and her hormones well enough to know right now, already being charged up from his touch she wouldn't last too long. Draping her arm over his shoulder to pull his mouth down to hers, Meredeth ran kisses heated and urgent, over his jaw until she was muttering dirty little words into his ear as the tension built and built until it exploded through her in a glorious white-hot light. She gave a small strangled 'oh yeah' as her heart-rate began to slow.

'That felt incredible, Javi. I love how you make me feel so hot like that.'

'I love any time I can get my hands on you. You look so sexy when you're all heated up and turned on like that,' he replied, dipping his head for a kiss.

'Hey, Javi,' she murmured with a grin when he broke the kiss and pointed to her belly. 'Look.'

Esposito looked down and saw her belly wobbling like fresh Jell-O with the movement of the baby. Grinning, he moved down and pressed a diamond pattern of kisses to her stomach. 'I love you too.'

* * *

The following morning, Meredeth sat nervously in Harvey's office he kept in Mid-Town just a few walking blocks from Saint Vincent. She knew she was a lot more nervous than she said because she couldn't stop fidgeting with ends of her scarf. The baby was giving her hell too, as it decided to use her kidneys for target practice whenever she got nervous or anxious these days and thus the need to pee went through the roof.

Beside her, she saw her husband give her a reassuring smile.

'Relax Mere, I'm sure this is just routine.'

'But they usually don't call you in unless something's wrong, right?'

'How would I know, Mere? I've never given birth.'

'Well, neither have I,' she said back, a little tense now. 'Okay, no talking until he comes in.'

They didn't have long to wait, as Harvey came in with Meredeth's file in hand, and she immediately reached for Esposito's hand. He didn't object when she gripped it with enough strength to crush bones; after all he was going to be in the delivery room with her and there'd be a lot more happening than waiting for test results.

'Well, congrats, looks like you'll have a healthy baby in three and a half months time,' Harvey told them, and Meredeth whooshing exhale was audible.

'Thanks, Harvey, but why did you want to call us down here?'

'I thought to kill a few birds with a single boomerang. You'll also be starting your prenatal classes on February fourth at seven pm, and your friend Jenny Ryan will be leading that seminar. It lasts for about six weeks. We're also offering an intense one-day seminar on the eighteenth, but I highly recommend as this is your first baby and it will be a little bigger that you do the six weeks. There's no price difference for the class, but I know a lot of first-time mothers feel better doing that one.'

Esposito cleared his throat. 'When, ah, you say bigger baby, how big are we talking? Like will she need horse tranqs or what?'

'Based on Meredeth's last check-up between seven and eight pounds.'

Meredeth thought of Lanie's rather creative description as feeling like she was trying to shit a telephone pole and that her legs were going to pop off her body like a Barbie doll, and Carey had been just over eight pounds. 'I think I can handle that. With drugs, of course, lots and lots of those lovely things.'

'Which brings me to point two. You're planning a vaginal birth with pharmaceutical assistance, and I'm going to bring in Jenny Ryan on my team for the birth itself. She did very well with Lanie and I think given your concerns about pain management you will be thankful to have a back-up in there with you.'

'Sounds good to me,' Meredeth nodded, glancing at Esposito who also nodded.

'Meredeth's taken Naproxen for her back problems when she has her period for a couple of years now, at least as long as I've known her,' he added, 'so I think that's where a lot of the concern is coming from, right?'

'Exactly. I'm fine with belly pains, those I can handle. It's my back.'

'Right, I understand, which is why I'm going to say you're a prime candidate for a spinal block as opposed to the epidural. It is usual for women like yourself or also for multiple births.'

'I know this is late in the game to be asking this,' Esposito said on a laugh, 'but there isn't a chance that she is having two is there? Twins run in the Coleman branch of our family.'

'There's only one in there, I can assure you. We'd have seen by now and more than that, Meredeth would feel it.'

'Okay.'

'Not that it'd be a bad thing,' Meredeth added, 'I'm just saying right now we're prepared for a single serving.'

'Like I said, we'd have seen two heartbeats by about eight weeks if we were expecting a two-for-one.'

Esposito had to fight the eye-roll. He'd never liked that phrase, no matter what the context, but especially in talking about a baby. 'Okay, so we're good for the amnio results, we've got more of the birth plan in place, we're signed up for classes, what else?'

'Let's talk episiotomies.'

* * *

Javi?'

'What?'

'You okay, babe?'

'Yeah, just...I never knew that's what an episiotomy _actually_ meant.' Esposito shuddered dramatically as they climbed the stairs of the subway station and walked towards Castle's building. 'I suddenly have newfound respect for my sister. And my mother. And Honey-Milk and Lanie, and Robina, and all women who've given birth.'

Meredeth laughed. 'If you say 'I wish I could have the baby for you', I will punch you.'

'No, not that cliche, but no wonder you want drugs. And Jenny went through that without them? She's fuckin' nuts.'

'She also didn't have to have her hoo-haa sliced because Dell's head was small enough.'

Esposito felt his own balls draw up towards his body as his sweet, lovely Meredeth described such monstrosities so vividly. 'Well since the doc doesn't think you'll need one, we don't need to keep talking about them. _E-ver_.'

'Okay, okay, something else, a little more cheerful.'

'How much you going to take Ryan for tonight? Everything he's got?'

'Nah, I'm not that mean when it comes to cards. Castle is, but I'm not. Even if I win a buck, I'll be happy.'

By the time they got to Castle's castle, Esposito had been mostly able to put that spectre out of his mind, but he couldn't help thinking, as he watched Castle slice up some lemon and lime wedges for their Coronas that Meredeth would possibly need that. He gave off a shudder as his bride went over to the couch where Lanie was playing with Carey and Dell, took his spot at the poker table with Castle and Beckett, and Dave and Ryan.

'You got the man with you tonight?' he asked his partner.

'Jenn worked a double yesterday and was insufferably cranky when she got home, so she's currently soaking in a bubble bath with a glass of wine and a trashy book,' Ryan returned, passing Esposito a brew. 'And I'm feeling lucky so prepare to lose your shirt.'

'So long as it's not my parents. That's Meredeth only.'

Over on the couch, Dell had scooted onto the couch and cuddled up beside Meredeth.

'How baby to-day?' he asked, his grin showing off tiny white teeth.

'Good. You want to feel?'

Dell nodded and let Meredeth guided his hand over her belly where the baby was awake and kicking up a storm inside. He added his other hand, moving them around like he was shaping plasticine.

'Feel funny,' he giggled, then looked over where Carey was sitting on Meredeth's left side. 'Carey touch?'

'If he wants to,' Lanie replied.

'Carey touch.' With a surprising amount of patience and softness, Dell took Carey's chubby wrist and put his palm against Meredeth. 'See? Baby soon.'

'Soo-soo-soo-soo-soo,' Carey warbled, clearly excited to be included. His bi-coloured eyes danced brightly as he looked over at his mother, and Lanie grinned at Meredeth.

'It's like they have their own little secret society,' she commented.

'Sometimes I think this one is communicating in Morse code when I'm getting kicked in the ribs or the bladder.'

'Are you signed up for birth classes?'

'Yeah, and Jenny's going to be in the delivery room.'

'You nervous?'

'A little. Mostly about my back pain.'

'Trust me, if you're on the fence,take the drugs.'

'Daddy!' Dell stood up on the couch and bellowed over at his father. 'Ouchies?'

'In a few minutes, big guy,' Ryan hollered back.

'O-kay.' Dell slumped back down on the couch but didn't stay there for long as Meredeth stood up. 'Where go, Mere?'

'I need to use the bathroom Dell.'

'O-kay. I help.'

Lanie had to catch the quick-moving toddler before he could follow Meredeth to the restroom. 'Not so fast little man, Meredeth can do that one on her own.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	31. Shock and Aw: 27 Weeks

As it was a short court day, Esposito was home early and the moment he'd hit the door he'd gone upstairs to find Meredeth resting with Arturo at the foot of the bed; he crawled in beside her in his boxers and dropped out for a solid hour and a half. When they'd awoken from their siesta before their first birthing class, Esposito stroked his hand over Meredeth's side, hooked his arm between her breasts and her belly.

'You've been awfully quiet since I got home. You nervous?'

'No, just thinking. Will I still feel good to you after the baby's born?'

'Huh?'

'I can't help thinking about how that is going to stretch me out down there and...will I still feel good to you when we're making love after the baby's born?'

'You know there's a six-to-eight week window where we can't do that, right?'

'I know, you think you can handle that?'

'Yes,' he replied instantly. 'Mere, I love you and if we had to wait six to eight months, that'd be fine too. Might give me carpal tunnel syndrome but you're worth every low five.'

'Ew, and aw.'

'Come here, my little worrywart.' Esposito poked and nudged at her until she faced him. 'I love you,' he repeated, kissing her deeply to show her he meant it, 'and sex with you is always exciting, and yes it will be different after the baby's born but that's just life, babe. You don't need to go getting reconstructive surgery or something like that just to make me happy.'

'I know.'

'On top of which, I was reading up on that in _Baby Boom_ and it said that those downstairs muscles are surprisingly elastic and resilient, and that with some exercises you can strengthen it back up.'

'I'll ask Harvey about it.'

'And if you're ever in doubt, just remember this.' Esposito kissed her again, tapped her nose with his finger. 'We're going to have more than one, right?'

'Of course.'

'How do you think those other ones will be made?'

Meredeth felt a liquid rush in her stomach that spread through her body to her fingertips. 'Same way this one was.'

'Exactly. And in between, there will be as much practice as we can handle.'

To prove his point, he straddled her legs with his, lowered himself like he was going to do push-ups. 'In fact, why don't we practice for the next one right now?'

'Well,' Meredeth grinned and bit her lip as her eyes flashed at him. 'Practice makes perfect babies.'

Once they'd finished their loving and had taken a quick refreshing shower Esposito was finishing brushing his teeth when he heard Meredeth's muffled voice.

'Javi?'

'Yeah, babe.'

'A little help?'

Esposito stuck his head out of the ensuite door, and laughed when he saw Meredeth - she was turning in circles on the spot to trying to shove her head the rest of the way through her sweater neck-hole. The hem was up around the top of her belly and the baby was wobbling around very visibly under her skin above her warm black pants; her elbows were pinned at her sides as a result and her arms were flapping like little chicken wings. 'Baby, are you stuck?' he asked in a sing-song voice.

'Funny guy,' she giggled back. 'Consider this a metaphor for two months from now.'

'I love you and I will be there supporting you in the delivery room the entire way so don't take this the wrong way but I am not looking down there until it's out.'

'That makes two of us.'

Meredeth grinned, looking at herself in the mirror. The belly was, to her mind, looking bigger by the nano-second, especially when she supported it from underneath. 'Damn, I'm huge.'

'You look beautiful. Not to start a fight, but how many pounds are you up to?' Esposito asked her as they went downstairs.

'Sixteen. All baby, says Nicole. Well within the healthy range. Time for boots.'

Meredeth grinned as he helped her into her jacket, and when she sat down on the downstairs step, she heard the snap-and-click of a camera. She looked up, saw him taking what had to be his one-thousandth photo of her since she'd gotten pregnant.

'What-'

'Baby's first day of school,' he said, with a sheepish grin.

'Aw, Javi.' Meredeth held up her hands for help getting to her feet, supporting her belly on the underside and feeling the distinct outline of a foot there. 'Baby says, Daddy, you're such a funny guy.'

The air of early February was brisk but the temperature was mild and the streets were bare so Esposito's mild paranoia about Meredeth taking a fall was lessened as they headed for the subway. When they checked in at reception at Saint-Vincent's, they were pointed in the direction of the pediatric and obstetric ward's teaching rooms. The minute they stepped through the door, Meredeth felt a little panicked.

'Javi, I think we're in the wrong class.'

'What? Why?'

'These women don't look nearly freaked out enough for being first-time mothers. I think they're pod people.'

Esposito smiled, gave her a reassuring kiss as they took their spots on the comfy cushioned floor of the birthing class room. 'Five bucks says they got a jump on those happy drugs you signed up for.'

Happy she laughed and relaxed a little, he looked around the room, saw the various posters geared for the mothers and the fathers-to-be. He particularly liked the one about the different ways a coach could physically support their partner during the delivery. Given Meredeth's back problems when she simply had her period, he wondered if number four on the poster, where the coach was seated behind the woman so her back rested against his chest and the lumbar was supported by the vee of the coach legs, was an option for them.

The door to the room opened and they saw Honey-Milk walk in, along with another nurse they'd been told was Amelia Strout, the same two women who'd run the birthign classes Lanie and Dave had attended the previous April. Almost instantly, Meredeth felt a little more relieved about the whole process when she saw the familiar face and knew that Harvey had made the right call. Honey-Milk had already talked to them about it at Christmas and they'd confirmed it with her after seeing Harvey for the amnio results. Today she was wearing dark blue scrub pants and a matching top with mini rainbow arcs all over it.

'Welcome everyone, and congratulations on your impending parenthood. I'm Nurse Practitioner Ryan and I'm told we have all first-timers here. Once we make the introductions, we're going to start with a birthing video of a typical delivery so that you'll have an idea of what to anticipate or expect. This video is a home video taken not quite a year ago, and has been used for this presentation with the couples' permission.'

Esposito saw the look on Honey-Milk's face as she turned to hit the lights and set up the video. There was something about that look, he'd seen it once or twice on his partner's face when he was trying to hold onto a juicy bit of info.

A few minutes later he understood why.

The image flashed on screen and he instantly recognized Harvey; a few seconds later he saw his favourite Italian paramedic come into view and he heard another very familiar voice.

_'Dave?'_

_'Right here, Elenia. I'm right here, my love.'_

_'Don't touch! No touching!'_

_'Of course not. Whatever you need, sweetheart.'_

'Mere,' he hissed, eyes still transfixed on the screen. 'That's Carey's birth on screen.'

'Uh-huh,' was all Meredeth could manage, focusing on what she was witnessing with the intensity of a Stanley Cup playoff. She was mentally dissecting everything, calling up what Lanie had mentioned about being in the birth room.

She could do this, she thought. If tiny Lanie could pass a baby that large through such a small space without any ripping and tearing of flesh, so could Meredeth Dakkars Esposito.

'Hey.'

Esposito glanced over his shoulder, saw Honey-Milk had crouched down behind them and was speaking directly to them. 'I was consulting with Harvey, he told me you would both be in this group, so I asked Lanie if I could use her birth tape in this round of classes to help make you feel a little better.'

'Feel better?' he sputtered, a little affronted before he remembered that it was a singular 'you' Honey-Milk was using - after all, it wasn't him that would be bringing their baby into the world. He'd have a front row seat, but Meredeth would be the one doing the heavy lifting at crunch time. 'Mere, you feeling better watching Lanie give birth?'

'Big time,' she replied without a single hesitation.

Esposito's eyes popped wide in surprise at her one-hundred percent answer. Then he thought of the conversation he'd had with Ryan as to why he'd gone a little overboard and the fact that Honey-Milk had barely said two words about childbirth without painkillers and he was ready to bolt from the room. Sometimes you really did need a uterus to get it, no matter how supportive a husband you were and wanted to be.

'Okay then,' he murmured, kissing her temple and stroking her back, manning up as he watched his friend finish bringing her child into the world. More specifically, he focused on what Dave was saying, how he spoke to his girl and how he didn't once snap back or get cross with her, even she she called him a goddamned cock-sucking Italian. But what man in his right mind who yell at at a woman giving birth to his child?

A quick glance around the room and he saw some of the other men look as shaky as he felt while others looked like they might drop a brick themselves if they had to watch anymore. Suddenly, the fact that he was nervous but not making a dash for it, nor about to baby Meredeth, made him feel a little more confident in his role as new daddy-to-be.

'Can we do that?'

'Do what, Mere?'

'Video the birth the way they did.' Meredeth leaned back, rested her chin on his shoulder. 'I think it'd be good to have that on tape.'

'Whatever you want my love.'

'And the still camera.'

'That one I knew we'd have for sure,' Esposito conceded, 'but I didn't know if you wanted a live record of the birth.'

'I didn't, at first, but seeing Lanie and Dave...I think it would be something we'd feel like we're missing if we didn't.'

Once again, Esposito was certain having a uterus was part of that sentence making sense, but he knew he wouldn't deny his pregnant wife such a simple and significant request. 'I'll make sure of it.'

At the end of the video, when they saw the new baby wrapped in a blanket and placed in Lanie's arms, heard both her and Dave's crying laughs, Esposito wrapped his arms around Meredeths shoulders to hold her tight.

'See that?' he whispered. 'We'll do that too, we'll be that awesome.'

'Damn right we will.'

Once the video was over, Amelia snapped the lights back on and drew on the white-board a list of concerns the class. 'These are all valid concerns, but the one we're going to begin with tonight is breathing techniques and finding a couple of comfortable birthing and pain management positions for you.'

The next forty-five minutes were spent doing exactly that and as she thought might happen, Meredeth found the traditional one of lying flat on her back with her legs in a frog-squat was absolute hell on her back.

'No,' she said when she saw Amelia and Honey-Milk come over, Esposito at her feet with his palms on her knees. 'Uh-uh, forget it, you want me in even more pain during the push phase of labour, this is going to do it.'

Honey-Milk nodded; having consulted with Harvey on Meredeth's medical file she knew of Meredeth's history with menstrual back pain. 'Okay then. I know for you specifically, Mere, you're concerned about lumbar support so let's try this.'

She tapped Esposito on the shoulder to get him to move and helped Meredeth sit up, wrapped her hands around her knees. 'Javi, you fit yourself in behind Meredeth here.'

'Oh yeah.' Meredeth snuggled herself against Esposito's chest, felt her legs shift apart comfortably. 'That's it, that feels so good.'

'Then that's what we'll use for you.' Honey-Milk made a mental note to tell Harvey so they could put it in the 'Procedures' portion of her file. 'The most important thing is to keep you as relaxed as possible so you don't fall into the fear-tension-pain cycle, because the spinal block can't be administered until six centimetres, a little later than the epidural.'

'Wait why so late?' Esposito asked. 'That's like over half-way through the dilation process.'

'Spinal blocks do block out more but when used in lieu of epidurals they don't last as long so they have to be administered later because of the risk they put on the baby,' Amelia state matter-of-factly.

'Risk?' Now Meredeth felt that fear-tension thing kick in. 'What are you talking about.'

'Mostly, they act as a kick of adrenaline and we have to watch that the baby's heart doesn't overload.'

'Fuck that.' Meredeth clutched Esposito's hand. 'Jenn, tell Harvey he can give me an epidural. I'll cry my eyes out but I'm not going to put my baby in danger.'

'Mere, Mere, when we say risk, we mean less than one percent, but you know medical professionals don't like to deal in absolutes.' Honey-Milk shot a glare at Amelia, ready to skin her ass. Amelia was good at her job and meant well but had the sensitivity of a chainsaw when dealing with nervous first-time mothers. 'There's no more risk than if you get an epidural. In some respects it's easier on you.'

Esposito curled his lip at Amelia's back for putting that light of fear into Meredeth's eyes. 'Jenn, she won't be there will she?' he asked in a low voice.

'No, it'll be Harvey, myself and Dan Brick, he's a surgical nurse, very good at what he does. He was the guy in there with Lanie and Dave. Don't worry, Javi.' Honey-Milk smiled. 'We'll make sure Dell's baby gets here safely. He asked if you could say 'hi baby' when I saw you tonight. He also said 'Moosh baby, Mama', so here.'

She leaned in and gave the belly a little bump of lips. 'Hi baby,' she told the bump, 'that's from Dell.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	32. Gift of the Partnersi

Esposito and Ryan both had fresh hot coffee in hand when they arrived on their crime scene two blocks east of Central Park. Their irritation of being half-way through their morning paperwork catch-up was lifted somewhat when they saw it was Shane Weaver crouched over their fresh body. One glance from the ME said his mood was as surly as his boss' today.

'Detectives, can you please find me a crowbar?'

Esposito and Ryan glanced at each other, down where Weaver was crouched by the body. 'A crowbar?'

'Yeah, so I can club myself to death so I don't have to report back Perlmutter. Tell Lanie she needs to get back here, we miss her.'

'Take it up with her needy new man.'

Weaver laughed, groaned as he stretched his legs. 'Victim is Audrey McMillan, had an ID for Keystone Laboratories in her coat pocket.'

'You have a cause of death?' Ryan asked, taking out his notepad.

'Looks like your standard slip on the pavement until we get to this.' Weaver pointed to the soft-spot behind her left ear. 'Red bump and circle indicative of a pressure syringe.'

'Pressure syringe? Thought those were only found on Star Trek or bad Tom Cruise sequels?'

'Well, that's what will help make your job easier this time around, or very very hard. These are not for common use in every hospital. These are laboratory use only, particularly medical and biochemical research, so tracking them down is going to be not terribly tricky. Getting the users to talk might be a lot harder.'

'We'll worry about that,' Ryan assured him, 'if you can even give us a starting point.'

'Well, we'll drive Miss McMillan to my place and give her the once over, do some blood-work and toxicology.'

Esposito had to chuckle a little at the discreetly cheerful phrasing Weaver and the other ME's used like they were doctors treating live patients, how they rarely used words like 'autopsy' and 'corpse' on scene. It was always Mister So-and-So or Miz This-n-That and they needed to be taken care of. 'Right. Anything else you can tell us right now?'

'No.'

'No?' Ryan's pen paused on his notepad.

'Syringes trump things, guys. Different substances can screw with liver temp readings so I'm not going to shoot my mouth off. What I can do is tell you she didn't die here, though whoever moved her here did their damnedest to make it look like she was just walking and took a tumble.'

'Okay, thanks Shane.'

The detectives stepped back to let the medical examiner assistants into the surprisingly wide alley, and as they did so, Esposito cellphone began to chirp _Good Vibrations_. 'Hi, babe, how are you?'

'Good, quick question, where did you put my extra bag of flour when you went to Gristedes?'

'I...didn't buy you flour, you have a whole bag leftover from Christmas in the cabinet with the aprons, dear.'

'Really?'

The amazement in her voice had Esposito concerned. 'Yeah, have a look.'

'Oh there it is! Thanks babe. Love you.'

'Love you too.' Esposito hung up, rolled his tongue around the inside of his mouth as he tried to process it. This had started happening for the last week, where Meredeth, sharp as a tack who kept things in line, was getting a little bit forgetful. He hadn't really read anything about it in the books though, so maybe it was just her being pre-occupied?

'Espo?'

'Yo.'

'Care to join in some investigationing?' Ryan held up the purse he'd been given by one of the uniforms.

'Sorry, sure, you got a home and work address?'

'Yeah.'

Ryan held his tongue until they were in the Crown Vic, on their way to contact the next of kin and talk to work colleagues. When they'd pulled away from the curb, he drummed his fingers on a knee and asked an easy grapefruit of a Wiffle ball question. 'So how's Meredeth this morning?'

'Forgetful.'

'I heard. That pregnancy brain's really kicked in, huh?'

'The what?'

'Pregnancy brain. It's not just a joke, it's a real thing. Women tend to be a little forgetful in the third trimester. Don't worry, it's not like Alzheimer's or something it's just like a brain fart only more often.'

'Oh, okay. So the fact she can't remember where she put a bag of flour before Christmas-'

'Dude, Jenny was staring at the fridge when I said get the milk, and she asked me three times what I wanted from the fridge.' Ryan paused. 'But I'd be cautious of her baking for a few weeks.'

* * *

Esposito sighed, dragged a hand over his face. Tell Audrey McMillan's son and daughter-in-law that she'd been found in an alley on the opposite side of town from her job and home in an alleyway hadn't been easy, but he hadn't anticipated the daughter-in-law passing out on the doorstep and then careening right into hysterical denial. He'd been tempted to shove Ryan forward to deal with it but he'd already been closer and she'd grabbed his coat flaps like a drowning woman would grab a tow-rope.

He imagined the woman's prints were still embedded in the fabric.

As he shuffled through papers on his desk, he saw a bright sea-blue envelope propped near his computer screen and recognizing Castle's penmanship, opened it. Inside was a card that read 'Yea Dad!' and was covered in crayon scribbles. Amused he flipped it open and laughed at the inside message.

_Get used to scribbles, bro. Kevin and Rick (feed those birds)_.

'Hey, you got it!'

Esposito glanced up, saw Castle approaching with two mugs of hot coffee from Brewster and took the one he offered. 'Thanks, man. It's really cute.'

'Well if you like that, then say hello to my little friend.' He passed his friend a small box wrapped with a ribbon of striped pink and blue.

Esposito only stared. 'I'm working on a murder, Castle.'

'This is from me to you, I want you to have it. Besides, I brought you coffee, you can always claim it's a coffee break.'

'Okay, okay.' He unwrapped the package and opened the lid, saw a a small pewter pin. It was small stork and said 'This cop belongs to Baby Esposito' on the sac parcel in its beak. 'Hey thanks, man, this is really nice.'

'You were expecting something else?'

'Yeah, like when you got me a mug full of condoms for a wedding present.'

Castle shook his head. 'I never joke about babies. They are the untouchable. That and a single mother.'

'Hey, you already opened his!'

Ryan, who'd wheeled over to discuss something learned from Weaver over the phone, saw his partner with the opened gift. He wheeled back to his own desk and opened the bottom drawer he usually kept locked to pull out a larger flat box and a smaller one. Both were wrapped in white paper with multicoloured bubbles bumping into each other. 'I know we've got a busy day but this is our coffee break, no reason we can't multitask.'

'Jesus, make me feel guilty...' Esposito shredded the paper and opened the larger box, then let out a barking laugh. Inside was an adult sized t-shirt, black organic cotton that read on the chest in bright yellow letters 'You Think I'm Cute, You Should See My Baby'; a further discovery showed an identical infant sized t-shirt that read 'You Think I'm Cute, You Should See My Daddy.'

'Now you'll match when you come up for beach day at the Hamptons on Memorial Day weekend,' Castle commented, pleased at how Esposito didn't blush or minimize it, just laughed and smiled, folding the shirts neatly into the box. 'You'll be a daddy by then and your baby will be a month and a bit old.'

'You mean Dell's baby,' Ryan corrected good-naturedly. 'That kid cannot get enough of Meredeth's belly. Every day it's 'see baby to-day?' He's a junkie for preggos, I swear. I think he's going to be either the next Michael Crichton or an OBGYN.'

'So the second gift is from him?' Esposito shook the box when Ryan nodded. 'I'm guessing something dinosaur related.'

He opened the gift and laughed again - it was another t-shirt only this one was green read 'Dell's Baby' in lighter green letters and had silhouettes of various dinosaurs all over. 'What a little thief. He's trying to steal my wife and baby away from me. He got his daddy's charm, no question.'

'I hate to break up such a tender tea-party moment, boys, but we do have a couple of pesky dead bodies with families who might want a little closure.' Beckett strolled up, having noticed the cluster by Esposito's desk. She looked at the boxes and arched an eyebrow. 'Are you...are those baby gifts?' she asked incredulously.

'Yes?'

'You thieving pig, you opened gifts for Meredeth?'

'Actually, we gave them to him. Daddies to be need swag too, you know,' Ryan corrected with a proud smile, patting Castle's shoulder. 'It was his idea,' he added helpfully, throwing his friend to the wolves. 'He wanted to do it big and grand but I said it might be a little embarrassing for him, since this is our place of business.'

'Thanks bro.'

'Anytime.' Ryan held up his fingertips and they did their 'feed the birds' secret handshake.

'What a bunch of metrosexuals,' Beckett scoffed; it was almost as bad as when Castle had commandeered her murder board to plan for the wedding reception he'd hosted for Ryan and Honey-Milk, and Esposito had been there with helpful catering tips. Almost. Nothing beat the moment when Castle had segued from giving her a case-conclusion bullet into asking about canape crackers. Resigned to this little bout of insanity for the day, she eased her hip onto the edge of the desk. 'What pray tell did you give him? Diapers and bibs?'

'Actually, it was a nice lapel pin and some cute parent and baby clothes,' Esposito corrected, showing off his treasures from his friends.

'Such male gifts.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Ryan asked, a little affronted. He'd custom ordered the shirt at Thanksgiving and had only arrived the week before.

'Only that my gift for Meredeth is going to blow those little things out of the water. Where are you on Audrey McMillan?'

* * *

Meredeth lay on the padded mat on her back in the living room, listening to the instructions on her iPod.

_And inhaling, lift your right leg five inches off the ground, flex the knee and hold for thirty seconds_

_Remember to focus on your breathing_

She'd given up on the video yoga before Christmas, as her hormones had made her want to punch the perky little instructor between the eyes, and she'd found some excellent free downloads of yoga for mommies to be on a prenatal fitness site. She'd gotten an extra layer of foam padding to put between herself and the floor since the hardwood made her aching back feel even more cranked out.

As she finished the hold and lowered her leg, she saw Arturo jump up from his spot at the window and race to the door to great Esposito, who appeared with fresh flakes of snow on his toque and shoulders as he walked in, market bags in hand.

'Hey Artie, how's my boy, huh? Where's Mommy at?'

'Over here,' Meredeth called and propped herself to her elbows. 'I'm sure I look like one of those cartoon hippos from _Fantasia_ right about now.'

Esposito wandered in, saw Meredeth lying on the floor and his heart did a quick rhumba before he realized she was doing her maternity exercises. He unbuttoned his coat and slipped off his shoes before he went over and sat on the edge of the coffee table. 'Want a hand?'

'Please.'

He helped her into a sitting position, and studied her face. 'Mere, have you thought about cutting your hair off? I know you said you wanted to leave it a little longer, not as long as at the wedding, but-'

'I thought about that too, but the books say no major beauty or style changes like that in third trimester because of the hormones, you don't know how you're going to react, if you'll like it or not even if it's a hair cut or colour or style you've had for the last fifteen years. So good idea, but I think it's best to leave it alone until after the baby's born.'

'Then how about this.' Esposito reached into the inside breast pocket of his suit, pulled out a voucher brochure. 'A morning of pampering just for you at One Hot Mama.'

Meredeth's blue eyes went round and shiny. 'Really?'

'Yes. You've been working hard to grow our baby and I remembered how much you liked that one I got you back in the fall, you used it right before we had our Valentine's in December and I thought you'd like another one, a little shorter of course since it's my only day off this week on Saturday.'

'Oh, Javi!' Still sweaty but not really caring, she threw her arms around her husband and hugged him as tightly as the belly would allow it. 'Thank you so much, baby!'

'You deserve it. I think you're as gorgeous as ever and I want you to feel it, too.'

'So what all do I get to do? Or have done to me?'

'You've got what they call the 'Southern Belle' package. You're getting your legs and bikini waxed, because I know the fights you've had with your razor, you're getting hip-to-toe massage and a pedicure. You're also getting your hands done and if you want, there's an optional eyebrows, and I got the upgrade to also include a hair wash cut and style.'

Meredeth pursed her lips together in a pouty smile. 'Aw, Javi, I don't know what to say?'

'But wait, there's more. I also got us fixins for pizza tonight, I know it's one of your favourite preggo-foods and you had that look in your eye when I mentioned it last night.'

'Oh yum. I'm going to waddle through the shower, and if you could turn on the oven, that'd be fantastic.'

Esposito waited until he heard their bedroom door close before he got out his cellphone and dialed Lanie.

'Hey, Espo, guess what, Carey's standing up at the edge of the coffee table!'

'That's great but I can't talk long. Meredeth's in the shower, I just gave her the spa package and she ate it up, so you and Honey-Milk are a go for Saturday.'

'Oh sweet! She's going to be so surprised!'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	33. Hearts Full of Love

On Saturday morning, Meredeth felt like a pampered elephant princess. Though she knew the bulk of it was all up front in her bump, she still felt like she might break a regular-sized chair from time to time and that a hard sneeze would make her fart - a 'snart' according to the almost-nine year-old wisdom of TJ Kelley. Still, even elephants in the zoo deserved a little extra TLC when they were growing little elephants inside and she'd gotten that for sure on her spa morning.

The bikini wax, as expected, was a necessary evil and despite the discomfort, Meredeth knew she'd appreciate it in a week's time, as would probably her husband. The leg wax had been surprisingly less painful than she thought it would be. But the really nice touches were the message and pedicure for her poor swollen feet. She hadn't realized just how brutal they'd gotten until she'd had the professional masseuse work her magic on them and Meredeth had literally wept for joy at the sensation. Once finished, her toes had been painted a shiny cadmium green and she'd made the decision instantly that prior to the baby's birth she wanted a professional pedicure again so she'd have something to focus on beyond her own body and its pain.

She'd also taken up the added bonus of the hair-cut; she'd only gotten a trim to tidy up some deadened split ends. No highlights or colour changes, simply the salon quality look and feel she wanted . _Great_, she thought, climbing the stairs out of the subway onto West Twenty-Fifth, _Now I sound like an ad for Tresemme_.

Pulling out her iPhone, she dialed the houseline, she knew her hubby was home because he'd wanted to get ready for a court date on Monday with Ryan. They were both being asked to testify in the Ferric case, a case that Meredeth had completely forgotten about since the dam had burst with Angela Doran and Timo Ross' cases breaking wide open. In the end, it turned out that Adrian Ferric had a taste for the kink and his brother in law decided to have the family fixer shut up anyone who might know about it so that the chances for a re-election didn't get shot to shit. The irony was, now that they were involved in such a public scandal with the trial, most people were saying 'so what if the brother was into dudes, at least he didn't try to cover it up with murder'.

She smiled widely when she heard his voice, cheerful and excited. Clearly he must have been taking a video-game break with his boy and kicked Ryan's ass to Tuesday.

'Hey, how's my pretty little mermaid?'

'Feeling very pretty and very not little. I'm just at the end of the street, I'll be home in like less than five minutes.'

'Okay, love you babe.'

'Love you too.'

Meredeth made it the rest of the way down the street, saw a couple out walking a very yapping pair of Pomeranians and vaguely she wondered about what she'd need to do for Arturo when she went into the hospital to give birth.

She was so pre-occupied by thinking about her dog, she didn't notice the flurry of movement behind the curtains of her living room, just went about opening the front door.

'Surprise!'

Meredeth looked up in shock and let her purse drop to the floor. Her house was crowded with people - everyone who'd been there at Christmas with the exception of the Kelley-Mazzaras, was filling up her living room. She looked up the stairs and saw her husband coming down, video camera in hand, and she realized his gift of the spa day was a two-fold.

'Javi! What did you do!' she exclaimed happily, kissing him as he passed the camera to Ryan who made sure he got Meredeth's reaction recorded. 'You, sir, are very tricky!'

'Happy baby shower, my love,' he replied, wrapping his arms around her body, kissing her back with just as much enthusiasm. 'You look sensational.'

'You wanted me out of the house to decorate, didn't you.'

'Not me, those ones.' Esposito pointed towards Lili, Beckett, Lanie and Honey-Milk. 'Particularly Madam Ryan and Doctor Parrish. They wanted you out and I wanted to give you a spa day of pampering, so the timing worked out nicely.'

Meredeth poked her head into the living room and saw the streamers of blue and green and sandy-brown, the tropical fish cut-outs and other sea creatures papering the living room. On the table were martini glasses of unnaturally blue liquid, and star-fish cookies, along with sea-breeze scented candles in tall glass holders, giving the room a seaside cottage atmosphere. Her eyes welled up in gratitude and she clenched her jaw so she wouldn't be the cliched pregnant lady crying at her baby shower.

'I love you, Javi,' she said, turning back to Esposito and kissing him once more. 'It's beautiful.'

'Love you too, Mere. You deserve nothing less.'

'Okay, let's get Mama off her feet and get her a drink,' Honey-Milk started, then stopped when she felt her son tug on her pants leg.

'Mama, pin-cess c'own?'

'Right, Dell, almost forgot. Meredeth, come sit down, Dell and Rosie have something to give you first.'

Meredeth made her way over to the arm chair and sat down, thankful to be off her feet. She grinned widely when she saw Dell in a pressed shirt and pants take Rosie's hand and walk over to her. He had a plastic tiara in his hand and Rosie, in her adorable party dress, had a sash ribbon of some kind.

'Pin-cess Merry,' he declared, passing her the tiara and kissing the bump. 'Par-tee for baby.'

'Tia Mew-ee,' Rosie added, laying the sash which read 'One Hot Mama' in silvery letters, across her knees. 'Pity Tia Me-Wee.'

Meredeth knew her job and put the tiara over her freshly styled locks, draped the sash over her shoulders. 'Thank you both very much, these are lovely. Oh my good god, what is this?' she laughed when Lanie passed her one of the blue drinks.

'Parrot Bay Baby-tini. Pineapple juice, blue raspberry Kool-Aid and a touch of club soda for fizz.'

'My tongue's going to be as blue as my eyes.'

Lanie grinned. 'That's half the fun.'

* * *

Esposito had thought of everything with the party planners for the seaside theme of the party, from tropical juice drinks and sea creature bingo to serving fish and chips of varying kinds for the main meal. He'd wanted to do crab dip and scallops and popcorn shrimp, all foods he knew Meredeth loved, but as Lanie was highly allergic to shellfish that was out of the question; he wasn't about to turn the ME into one of her own customers for the sake of indulging Meredeth.

He'd just wait until she left before he busted out his mad takeout skills for Meredeth.

In addition to the main course of fish and chips, there was also fruit and veggie trays, cheese and crackers, and bruschetta, all foods he knew Meredeth would gobble up gleefully without stressing about her caloric content. She'd eased off that count once she'd gotten more comfortable with the weight gain but she was still cautious and Esposito didn't blame her. She wanted a healthy baby, they both did, so she was less concerned about how often things went in and more about what went in.

By the time they'd sopped up the last of the tartar sauce and malt vinegar, it was present time and Esposito was particularly looking forward to this part. He knew the girls weren't giving any clothing as they had enough to swaddled their baby for two months straight without doing a single stitch of laundry. They decided to be all about the gizmos and gadgets, which had him very intrigued.

The first one unwrapped was strictly Meredeth only - Lanie had gotten her a hospital grade breast-pump, the idea of which had Meredeth a little weirded out but she knew it would come in handy when needed.

'So that's how that works,' Esposito muttered, making Ryan laugh beside him.

'What, you thought they just squeezed them like milking a cow?'

'No, I...no, there is no non-creepy way to end that sentence.'

The moment was done, as she'd moved on to the next box, this one from Beckett which turned out to be a baby bath-tub, for putting in the grown-up sized tub or for putting on top of the change table.

'Every mother needs one of those,' Beckett declared, drinking down her Haitian Sunset - cranberry, peach and mango with a splash of 7-Up. 'I went on You-Tube to see what other new moms were using and they just plunked their babies bare-ass naked in the kitchen sink! The kitchen sink!' she said again for emphasis.

'I know, it's more common than you think, right?' Dave said. 'I thought it was just my family who was weird and did that.'

'It's beautiful, Kate, thank you. I have a feeling the baby will love this.'

'Oh?'

Meredeth nodded. 'Every time I've gone swimming, the baby gets all kicky-happy, so it seems to really enjoy the water. Okay, next one!'

'Here. This is from me and Kevin.' Honey-Milk passed her a large box, and she smiled when she saw the way Meredeth ripped through the paper like the Tasmanian Devil to find a diaper genie inside. 'This is the same one Kevin's sister got us and it is fantastic, it has an odor lock on it, so it doesn't make the whole nursery stink like poop.'

'No 'tink, Mama,' Dell agreed, not too thrilled that he couldn't sit beside his beloved Meredeth and the bump. 'My baby 'mell good.'

'Exactly.'

'Hey Dell.' Esposito leaned forward from his spot on the couch closest to Meredeth. 'Is Auntie Merry having a girl or boy?'

'Girl!' he declared. 'Fan-cy girl.'

'What should we name her?'

'Cera!'

'Ah, like the three-horn in _Land Before Time Right_,' Honey-Milk explained. 'Do you know and just aren't sharing?'

'No.' Esposito shook his head, felt Meredeth slide her hand into his. 'We haven't got a clue, though both of us are starting to lean towards a boy now.'

'Less yakking, more unwrapping,' Meredeth said with a smile. She'd never grown out of that childhood fetish, the feeling of tearing through the paper of a gift. It was as soulful to her as undressing her husband.

Esposito held out his hand and took the box from his sister. 'To Tia Merry, love Rosie,' he read off the card, then smiled at his niece. 'Rosie, did you go shopping?'

'Chop-pin!'

'Like mother, like daughter,' he laughed; Lili was frugal with her money but whenever she had a little extra, she bought the fanciest possible things she could find. 'What's in there, Merry Cherry?'

'Oh, look at this,' she breathed, turning the box to face him. 'It's that pram we were talking about, the converter one that was out of stock when we went to find it!'

'Hey now, that's sweet.'

It was a combination carrier, pram and stroller all in one so that it would be used one way or another until the baby was about three years old, with small wheels designed after mountain bikes and full hand brakes.

'This will be great for takin' Artie and the little one to the park,' Esposito commented.

Meredeth grinned. She knew he couldn't wait to take his baby to the park with the dog and show her off to everyone. It was the little things like that which were getting him even more excited as her due date drew nearer. Less than two months to go, she thought with a jolt. Where had the time gone?

'Hey, how come Gil and his clan aren't here?' Dave asked, looking around.

Meredeth sipped her drink. 'Mm, today's the fourteenth, it's TJ's birthday and Gil's father wanted to have them over for the day in Brooklyn. Wait.' She paused as she reached for the next gift. 'Today's Valentine's day, why are you all here?'

'Because we love you and my brother,' Lili said simply, 'and what better day to say how much we love the new baby than Hearts Day?'

It was enough for Meredeth's hormones to go into overload and before she could stop it, two little tears leaked out the corners of her eyes before she could stop herself. She closed them so she could get it together and heard Esposito whisper, 'Dell, pass this to Meredeth.'

She felt the little bump on her knee and opened her eyes to see Dell looking as concerned as a two and a half year old possibly could and waving a napkin at her. 'Why Merry tears? Baby ouch?'

'No, no, I'm happy Dell,' Meredeth tried to explain, which had his little brow knitting together in confusion.

'Why happy tears?'

'Because Aunt Lili said something very nice to me.'

'Get used to it, big guy.' Honey-Milk wrapped her arm around her son and tugged him into her lap. 'When you grow up and you're dating girls, or boys, people cry happy tears because they can't keep all that happy inside.'

'Like 'neeze-y?'

'Not quite like a sneeze-y,' Lanie laughed, tickling Carey and making him laugh too. 'Eh, Mister Giggles? Not like a sneeze.'

'Keep cracking there, Mere.' Castle brought in a pitcher of Parrot Bay Baby-tinis. 'We have other things to get to.'

'Oh?'

Castle winked as he topped off her glass. 'Not until the end.'

'Well then.' Meredeth leaned over. 'Dell, Rosie, you want to come help me?'

Esposito made sure he got it all on video, the way the two youngsters helped their favourite girl open the last of her presents, this one from Lanie and Dave, a floor lamp to go in the nursery with speakers in the base to hook up to a stereo to provide the room with ambient soothing music. They'd gotten the same one for in Carey's room when he was colicky and had trouble sleeping through the night Dave explained, and made Meredeth's waterworks nearly start up again because they were so considerate of the potential needs of a new mother.

'Just one more, Mere, but this is a good one.' Castle reached in his pocket, pulled out what looked like a jeweler's box.

'You spoil us rotten.'

Meredeth opened the box, saw a medallion of a Mickey Mouse silhouette and a card - _When You Wish Upon a Star_. 'What...' she trailed off, then felt all the blood leave her brain. She looked over at Esposito, up at Castle. 'Seriously?'

'Seriously. You and your man will be in charge of airfare, but we rounded up a few pesos for your first family vacation. Everyone should go to Disney World at least once.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	34. Hearts Full of Seduction

The baby shower lasted until well after eight pm, making Meredeth wonder if all their coupled-up friends were foregoing nights on the town or simply going to have romantic nights in and get an early start on the loving; she couldn't help thinking it. The hormones had made every day one big long game of 'that's what she said'. After the party guests had left, the parents-to-be were left to admire the loot they'd gotten and Esposito's first task when everyone was gone was to order Bubba-Gump take-out.

'Shrimp kebabs and soup should be here within the hour, my love,' he told her, putting the cordless phone on the table and sitting down beside her. His hands immediately went to her belly to feel the baby awake and thriving.

'Hey in there,' he murmured to the bump, 'Can't wait to see you soon. You know the kind of swag you got today? Man, you are going to just drop a little baby brick when you see how spoiled you already are.'

'Thank you again for my morning at the spa,' Meredeth sighed contentedly. 'It really hit the spot. I haven't been feeling myself lately.'

'You don't feel right?' Lazy happiness ground to a halt as Esposito's head snapped up and he stared at his wife's face, studying it for any sign he should be worried. 'What's wrong?'

'No, no, Javi, not like that, just like...blobby.'

'Blobby?'

'Yeah, like all of a sudden I feel huge and massive. I look in the mirror and know logically I haven't changed all that much in the last week, you know, my weight's been nice and steady but like I'm bumping into things, misjudging my aim when I pour milk, stuff like that.'

'Ah, I see. Well, the books did say that clumsiness is common because of the change in centre of gravity,' he reminded her, relief swamping him as he settled back against her. 'If it helps, you boobs look top-notch.'

Meredeth laughed, making her praised features jiggling under her top. 'It does, believe it or not.'

'Seriously, Mere, you've never looked so delicious. My beautiful Danish apple.' Esposito glanced at the clock, calculated. 'We've got time.'

'For what?'

He ignored her question, and simply tugged her to her feet, pausing only to grab a CD. When they reached their bedroom, he popped the disc into the CD-radio and Oscar Peterson jazz flowed out, the low piano version of _Night Train_ drifting through the speakers. Esposito had her sit down on the end of the bed and tugged his polo shirt over his head, shoved his boxers and pants to the floor. He grinned when she arched her eyebrow at him.

'Usually stripping for someone involves a little teasing, Javi,' she said dryly as he tugged off his socks so the only thing he wore was his gold chain with the cross from his sister.

'Ah, but what if the teasing isn't involved in the undressing?' he volleyed back. 'Your turn.'

'My turn what?'

Esposito crooked his finger at her, and helped her to her feet. His hands went to her hips and he leaned in, kissing her lips lightly. 'I felt like a little romance with my girl on February fourteenth,' he said, alternating each word with a lingering covering of her mouth. His fingertips closed around the hem of her maternity sweater-tunic and he tugged it over her head so she was in her leggings and barefoot; he could see the iridescent green of her pedicure. His hands ran up her arms and she inhaled deeply when he slid the straps of her bra down her her shoulders, the swells of her breasts rising and falling like ocean tides. A flick of the wrist and he popped open the hook between them before sliding the straps and bands of soft organic cotton off of her body. He let his hands linger there for a few minutes before he helped her out of her leggings and panties so she was naked in front of him, round and beautiful as he saw the slow movements of their child under the skin of her midriff.

'Look at you,' he marveled, holding her at arm's length, 'you look phenomenal, Meredeth.'

'You humble me, Javi,' she replied in a sweet husky voice. 'You're so beautiful, so golden and warm and sexy.'

'Come here.'

Taking one hand in his, Esposito rested the other on her hip and pulled her as closely as possible and circled her around so they were dancing together in a slow waltz in time to the music. 'Who says when you're pregnant all romance goes out the window?'

'I haven't exactly been the nicest pregnant lady,' Meredeth started, then stopped when her husband shook his head.

'You've had your moments but Lanie was far worse. She was constantly hormonal and snappy. You, you store it up and let it out in an avalanche, then we're fine for another five weeks or so.'

'You know what's going to be great?'

'Beckett and Castle having one?'

'Oh yeah. That's just prime footage for America's Funniest Home Videos right there.'

'Beckett with a loaded weapon and pregnancy hormones, I'll sell tickets for that by the squad-car load,' Esposito laughed. 'And I'm turning you.'

Meredeth smiled as he spun her slowly so they spooned together, back to chest, and her grin widened when she felt the proof of his love against her flank. 'And I'm loving you.'

'Love you too Meredeth. And one more turn-around.'

He turned her again, and this time when he put his hand on her hip, he put a little more pressure into it so that he was lowering her to the bed and he caught her knee in his hand so he held the crook of it against his hip. He knelt down in front of her, putting her ankle on his shoulder and Meredeth let out a humming laugh.

'This feels very familiar,' she purred.

'It should.'

Esposito turned his neck, ran kisses over her long legs, up to the inside of her thighs. 'Lie back,' he suggested softly, pleased when she did. He'd thought of this to make her cramping back feel as comfortable as possible. He continued his journey upwards, let his hands rest on her thighs; he could feel the heat rising from her already and when he dipped his tongue along that sweet juncture, he felt himself grow hard at the delighted 'oh God, Javi' she gave off.

This was one of his favourite ways to pleasure her. His touch on her, feeling those slick wet creases of her body was always hot, but this one was somehow more intimate, more personal for him. He heard her sigh and moan his name, tiny little pleas for more, just right there, just like that as she stroked her own fingertips over his smooth scalp.

Meredeth thought she might blow apart from his tenderness with her. She loved when he kissed and caressed her like this, there was something so decadent about his mouth down there that made her want to scream, but all she had the brain power for were aching groans and murmurs, so she touched the top of his head to let him know he was giving her exactly what she craved. She felt his tongue on her, only his tongue, not lips or fingers just that part of him and it made her whimper in delight. Then she felt the little bit of pressure, and knew he was stroking her, which could only mean-

'Oh, God! Javi!' she suddenly cried out when he flicked the point of his tongue over her trigger and she came almost instantly, shockwaves radiating through her at the speed of light. 'Again.'

Esposito drew his mouth away from her, brushing his lips over her thigh before he rose to his feet, up over her body. 'Pass me that pillow, Mere,' he panted, pointing to the one above her head. She did so and he manoeuvered it under her hips and stayed at the end of the bed, his hands on her hips.

Meredeth rested on her elbows, looking at him quizzically. 'Javi-'

It was as far as she got before the sensation of him sliding inside her took over. 'Oh. Oh, God, yes. Oh, God Javi.'

'I knew you'd like it like this,' he replied, pleased her her hips arched and matched his even and loving strokes. 'I love you, Mere.'

'Love you too Javi.'

It was the only words she had as the orgasm built inside her and she was reduced to calling out his name over and over again as the riptide of the orgasm flushed through her body and she could feel him shudder when she circled his wrists with her hands before his body stiffened and then collapsed beside hers. Chest heaving with the struggle for breath, they both lay on the bed staring at the ceiling as Oscar Peterson and his jazz trio continued to seduce their ears.

'I feel violated in the most awesome possible sense of the word,' Meredeth laughed, rubbing the heel of her hand between her breasts as she glanced over at her husband who looked equally goofy-stupid with post-sex happy. 'That was quite hot, using the garter toss moment from our wedding as a way to seduce me on Valentine's Day.'

'Every time I think about it, I can't help thinking I wish we'd been alone for that moment so I could do what I just did with you.'

'Well, we got to now. And nice call with the pillow. Been awhile since we got to have face-to-face sex.'

'I like looking at your expression when you orgasm,' he said simply, making Meredeth wave her hand for a small breeze.

'Fan me down, that is one of the sexiest things you've ever said to me.'

'Still feeling blobby?' Esposito asked, nibbling at her earlobe.

'Not a bit. Ooh!'

'Kick?'

'Oh yeah. Hey you.' Meredeth poked her index finger into her belly, saw the movement under the skin. 'Yeah, you in there. Thank you for letting Mommy and Daddy have some grown-up fun time without interruptions.'

'Amen. How about a nice warm shower before food?'

'Sounds just great.'

* * *

Once showered and re-dressed, this time in comfortable pyjama-like clothes - Esposito in a long-sleeved tee and flannel sleep pants, Meredeth in an adorable pj pants-and-top set from Lili at Christmas - they headed downstairs to find Arturo flaked out on the floor in front of the fireplace, a sleepy but pleased look on his face as well.

'Looks like everyone in the Esposito house is having a happy hearts-day,' Meredeth giggled as she wandered over to peruse her disc collection for a possible feature while they ate. She scratched an itchy spot by her belly-button as she thought, heard a snicker. Looking over, she saw Esposito trying hard not to laugh at her. 'What?'

'You. You're so damned cute when you do things like that.'

'Like what?'

'Scratch the bump.'

Meredeth rolled her eyes playfully. 'I already had sex with you twice today, you animal, are you shooting for the hat-trick or something?' she snickered.

'Anything catching your eye there?'

'I wanna watch _Alien_. Or maybe _Underworld_. Or there's the first _Las Picaduras_.'

'You want to watch _Las Picaduras_?' Esposito swung his feet off the couch to the floor. 'Are we having some kind of pregnancy brain moment? Because I remember quite well the look on your face when you came home from the theatre after seeing it.'

'No. Well, kind of.'

'Explain.'

Meredeth shrugged, scanned the shelves. 'I have a strong desire right now to watch some kind of body-gross film.'

'That's odd.'

'Not really. After my grandfather Max passed away when I was twenty-three, I watched a lot of violent horror movies as a means of coping. Same kind of thing.'

'Your grandfather dying of liver cancer isn't the same as you giving birth.'

'Okay, how about if I say it makes sense to me?' she asked as the doorbell rang, sending Arturo into a protective canine fit. 'Can you grab that?'

'Yeah, go grab my wallet off the kitchen counter, I have cash in there.'

Meredeth did so, then went back to put plates and cutlery on a tray so they could eat in the living room. She didn't necessarily like the feeling of always eating front of the screen but she let that slide more and more by the day since the butter-soft couches in the living room where the second most comfortable spot in the house after their cloud-soft bed.

They settled on _Alien_ and _Las Picaduras_, while eating shrimp with vegetables and garlic toast; Esposito could only shake his head when he watched Meredeth watch the screen in _Alien_ when the chest-burster made his first appearance and all she did was shake her head and say 'poor Kane, he never had a chance'. It was the moments like those he knew he'd cherish when they were old and grey and watching their grandbabies grow up.

They were on to fruit salad left over from the baby shower - the only food leftover - and more of the Parrot Bay Baby-tinis by the time they hit the opening credits of _Las Picaduras. _Esposito had to give her props for watching the original Spanish soundtrack with subtitles, but he knew the scene which had made her come home from the theatre with Lanie looking like she'd seen a ghost was the one that made him wonder why the hell she wanted to watch the film.

When they arrived at the scene - Rocia, the unwitting and sexually frustrated girlfriend of the newly converted vampire Damon, went with her boyfriend into the forest for some naked fun that ended in bloodshed - Esposito glanced over to Meredeth and expected to see her hiding under his ancient NYPD throw blanket. Instead he saw her breathing deeply.

'Mere?'

'I imagine even with the spinal block this is what childbirth will at the very least sound like so I figure why not use it to practice my LaMaze techniques?'

Not for the first time since he'd gotten his wife pregnant did Esposito conclude ownership of ovaries were a key part in that sentence making sense. 'If that's what floats the baby boat, go nuts baby.'

'That and the fact that every time I watch it, this scene gets equal parts hotter and scarier to me, though I don't know why.'

Esposito coughed. 'I love you and I'm all for bedroom creativity-'

'Of which we are in abundant supply.'

'-Agreed, so I have no problem saying you will have a better chance of getting me onto the King-Da Ka than _ever_ getting me to play sexy vampires with you.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	35. Taking Care of Loved Ones: 29 Weeks

Meredeth was awoken from her nice cozy sleep by the feel of hands on her belly. Since she'd hit twenty-nine weeks, she'd been able to find a little more comfort at night and her husband had learned to let her sleep, and only to wake her for a 'love-you-kiss-kiss' if he was called in the middle of the night. She groaned a little then peeled open a wary eyelid as she wondered why she was being disturbed at half-past five in the morning. The other flew open as she saw she was face to face with Dell Ryan and his tired blue eyes.

'Mo-nin, Merry,' he yawned, patting her tummy with one hand while he held onto his stuffed t-rex with the other. He was still in his painfully cute dino-footies and his blond curls were sticking out at right angles to his scalp. On the bed beside him was his t-rex, complete with an 'ouchie' band-aid still wrapped around his claw. 'Mo-nin baby.'

'Dell, what are you doing here so early?'

'Mommy work, Daddy work.' Dell grinned widely. 'I 'tay wit' you an' baby to-day.'

'Oh, he's a dead man,' Meredeth muttered, flopping back onto the pillow. 'No trial, no public pleading, straight to the gallows.'

Suited up and ready for the early morning rollout, Esposito came in the door with Ryan hovering at the entrance. He knew he would get a well-deserved ass-kicking from his bride when he got home but he also knew her tender heart wouldn't turn down the belly time Dell could clock if they had some one-on-one time together. He came around to her side of the bed, speaking cautiously though it was unlikely she'd cuss him out in front of a toddler who had a habit of picking up bad words already. 'Hey Mere, I know this is a total imposition and I will make it up to you but we got called early and Jenn's not off shift until ten this morning.'

'Will he go back to sleep?'

Esposito pointed and Meredeth saw the little guy was already half back in snooze-land with his rex tucked under his arm as he cuddled into one of the soft squishy pillows. 'Happy as an oyster.'

'He'll need his insulin after breakfast,' Ryan said. 'His syringes are in his bag by the dresser, he needs his first one around eight, eight-thirty.'

'Sounds good.'

Esposito smiled in gratitude as Meredeth nodded sleepily, and he set her bedside alarm for seven forty-five so she could feed Dell and give him his injection promptly. 'Thank you so much for this, Mere, I don't know what I'd do with out you. I gotta go, babe.'

'You got no lunch, baby.'

'It's okay, my love I'll find something. Gimme one for good luck.' Esposito tapped his chin under his lips and Meredeth gave him a kiss. 'I love you both.'

'We love you too.'

'I'll call when I can.'

'Okay.' Meredeth watched them go, heard Ryan's Crown Vic pull away from the curb a few minutes later, then nudged Dell in the stomach. 'Hey you.'

' 'Nooze-y,' he mumbled. 'No poke.'

'Do you want to watch cartoons?'

'Toons? What toons?'

'The Muppet Babies.'

'What a Mup-pet?'

'You'll find out.'

Tossing back the covers, Meredeth let him snooze in her bed while she went down to her shelves of DVDs and picked out a home-burned disc of season 1. She paused when she felt the baby give her an irritated kick in the gut.

'I know, sweetheart,' she reassured the baby as she massaged the spot where the foot abused her 'We're going back to bed.'

She took the stairs as swiftly as she could, given she was carrying quite a load and still half asleep. When she got back to her room, she smiled when she saw Dell resting peacefully on the bed and thought of the panic Honey-Milk must have gone through when she couldn't wake Dell after a nap like that at Hallowe'en. Moving carefully, she pulled her mini-DVD player out of her bedside table and popped the disc in, then settle into the pillows - thankfully Dell had taken one of her husband's goosedown pillows; she didn't like admitting it but she had no problem taking her own back if Dell had occupied one of them - as the menu flashed on. When the first episode started and she heard the theme-song start, Dell's eyes blinked open and he moved so he could see the action on the screen.

'Know t'at song,' he said.

'Well, when you were a little baby, like Kelley, you and I would watch this show together.'

'Rea-lly?'

'Yes.'

Dell thought about this, and sighed contentedly as he snuggled against her body and propped t-rex against her belly.

'Who t'ose ones?' he asked.

'That's Kermit, he's a frog, and there's Miss Piggy and there's Gonzo, he's my favourite.'

'What Don-zo?'

'We don't really know what he is. He says he's a weirdo.'

'Wee-do,' Dell attempted to repeat the word, then tapped the bump again. 'T'at Don-zo, baby,' he told her tummy. 'Don-zo funny.'

'Okay, shh. Baby needs to sleep,' Meredeth whispered, holding a finger to her lips, pleased when Dell nodded solemnly.

'Baby 'nooze?'

'Yeah, baby's snoozing.'

'I 'nooze too.'

Sure enough, they didn't even make it to the end of the first episode before Dell was out like a light.

* * *

'Are you gonna be really far in the doghouse on this one?' Ryan asked as they walked towards their crime scene on Avenue A. The end-of-February wind was teasing hints of warmer weather but there was still eighteen inches of wet sticky snow covering everything, making the tease even more torturous.

'Nah, I know Mere, and she'll be fine as long as I don't break my word and make it up to her.'

'And how are we doing that?'

'Hockey tickets. I scored some to the Islanders-Leafs game tomorrow night, in the heated clubhouse too.'

'Who did you trade that with?'

'Newman's cousin works in PR for the Garden, he hooked me up.' Esposito saw the pathologist hovering like a paper praying mantis around the body and swore ripely. 'Fuckin' ridiculous,' he muttered in Spanish so he wouldn't get in trouble for using profanity.

Ryan saw who they scored for the on-scene from the ME's office and shared his partner's sentiment. 'I didn't even think he was still alive.'

They'd drawn the short straw of ME's that morning and gotten stuck with Doctor Rudolph 'Wheezy' Winston who some guessed was as old as the technique of fingerprint analysis. Lanie was always their top choice followed closely by Weaver, and most would choose Perlmutter's acid grousing because at least they could snark back at him; he took it as well as he dished it. A morning spent with a dead body and Wheezy's mumbling was almost like dealing with two corpses.

'Detectives,' he rasped, in a voice rusted with age and disuse. 'Beverages should not be on this side of the yellow visual barricade.'

'It's not even six in the morning,' Ryan protested, sounding like a twelve-year-old, wondering why the old windbag couldn't just say 'tape'.

'I never drank coffee a day in my life. I'll be sixty-two next August.'

'And it shows,' Esposito muttered, passing his preciously home-brewed double latte to Geoffs who was standing guard on the other side of the tape and nipped Ryan's Java Loft take-away cup out of his hand before he gave Wheezy a caffeinated shower. Neither of them were chipper and cheerful before the crack of dawn and both were risking facing angry wives at home afterward and the first thing that went with Ryan was his ability to hold onto things; they always became airborne.

'What information do you have prepared for us, Doctor?' he asked dutifully, knowing that Wheezy wouldn't know easy working slang if it slapped his ass and called him 'Giggles'.

'The deceased is Irene Gaston, born August ten nineteen seventy-three. She appears to have suffered a blunt force trauma to the left zygomatic arch, temporal plane and mandible.'

'So someone bashed her skull in,' Ryan summed it up testily.

'Your lack of respect is appalling. The woman's family won't want to hear your glib answer.' Wheezy sniffed, turned his back on Ryan to face Esposito. 'I won't stand for such rudeness on my crime scene.'

Ryan thought the vein in his temple might burst. 'Your crime scene,' he started but was cut off when Esposito tugged his own left ear. It was their subtle signal to let it go or find a new task. 'I'm going to canvass the uniforms, see if they've got any witnesses.'

'You do that, Detective Ryan and report back here in fifteen minutes.'

'I'll be finished here in approximately ten.' Wheezy coughed, then sniffled wetly, making Esposito step away subtly. The last thing he wanted was to become infected with a cold and have to spend a night away from Meredeth.

'Fifteen minutes, Detective Ryan.'

Ryan jetted and Esposito took out his bamboo handkerchief - a treat in his Christmas stocking from Meredeth - and covered his mouth and nose while he spoke. 'Do we have an estimated time of death?'

'It is difficult to be conclusive so early, as many factors-'

'Okay, Doctor, I don't want to infringe on your sensibilities, but here's the deal.' Esposito changed his stance, he was all business now instead of just being a 'young upstart' which was how Wheezy referred to all the detectives not born in the Roaring Twenties. 'It's early, it's cold, I left my seven months pregnant wife in bed and Ryan left his son with her which means we're already on edge. Not trying to tell you how to do your job, sir, but being sticky with us like this doesn't promote a lot of co-operation, especially on the part of my partner.'

'Very well. I'll be in touch the moment I have something to report.'

Esposito nodded, watched the young assistants load the body into the wagon while he heard the unmistakable sound of Ryan's winter boots come up behind him. 'What you find, bro?'

'Geoffs gave me the last of his coffee.'

'I'll buy you a refill in the break-room.'

* * *

Irene Gaston, they discovered, was a landed citizen from Cayenne, French Guiana, and had lived in her modestly comfortable co-op with her boyfriend and her cat for about eleven years. She worked as a tour manager and translator for Caravan Limited which according to Ryan's Internet search was a cheap student travel bureau for those who wanted to see Europe and Africa on a flat-ass broke budget. She hadn't been reported missing and her boyfriend had assumed she'd spent the night sleeping off her girls' night out with a friend as the last time he'd heard from her she'd been 'way _saoule_' when she'd called and added a cheery '_je t'aime mon coeur_' before they'd hung up.

The boyfriend had been co-operative and let them pull whatever records they needed in order to find who killed her, so Ryan and Esposito started with tracking down her girlfriends she'd partied with the previous night, asking them where they'd gone, who they'd talked to, any other problems they could think of her having. All of them, except for one, Denise, had been vehement that Irene was a sweetheart and it had to be either mistaken identity or a random act of violence.

Esposito decided to have a look at the friend who wasn't so reticent.

'Hey-o.'

'Hey Newman,' he replied without looking up from his screen. 'What do you have?'

'Credit card pop for Irene Gaston and the boyfriend Luke Pec-zeck-ee?'

'Peczecki, it's Polish I think,' Esposito assured him. 'What you find?'

'Nothing that jumped out in particular, although they each have a lot of airfare.'

'She worked as a tour guide and she'd take him along for the ride sometimes, according to Luke.'

'Right, but see, here's what I found. The dates don't match.'

Esposito sat up. 'Which ones?'

'A lot, going back about two months, just before New Years.' Newman handed over the sheets with his colour coding. 'Her charges are in pink and his are in green and the ones that popped on both accounts are in yellow.'

'Good work, man.'

Esposito culled through the report from Newman, then paused when he heard the elevator doors bing open. He could smell her before he even saw her through the mesh-wire walls of the bullpen. It was the Meredeth scent but there was something else there now, sweet and innocent. Setting the report aside, he glanced up, then got to his feet when he saw her carrying the cooler bag.

'Mere! What are you doing carrying that?'

'It's not that heavy.'

'Dell's gone home?' he asked, pulling over Ryan's empty chair for her to sit.

'Yeah, Jenny came and got him. After he left, the bump and I were in the kitchen cooking this morning and we brought chilli.'

'Chilli? The really good one?'

Meredeth nodded, shifting in her seat to try and get comfortable. She inhaled deeply when Esposito unzipped the insulated bag and the smells of home cooked food rose into the air. 'Taco chicken with black beans and sweet corn, and a small veggie-friendly batch for Ryan. And smoothies all around. Mango-banana, so you'll have something to stick with you.'

''I can't believe you did all this for us.'

'Yeah, well, I know the only thing that makes you crankier than having to roll out early is no food.

It was an eternal miracle to have a woman who loved him so much, Esposito marveled. 'I love you.'

'Love you too.' Meredeth smiled when he leaned in and gave her a small kiss, despite being surrounded by cops.

'Hey, get a room, we don't need to see how you made that little Espo that's going to be here soon,' Castle hollered as he walked up to Esposito's desk, gave the glowing mama-to-be a peck on the cheek. 'Were you cooking? Is that taco chicken chilli I smell?'

'I also have homemade corn-bread for dipping. And no I wasn't bending over the oven, Javi,' Meredeth added, anticipating her husband's sweet concern for her. She patted his hand before she squeezed it. 'Those I had in the freezer and warmed in the steamer.'

'Good call.'

'Where is it?'

The men and Meredeth glanced over to see Beckett strolling out of the captain's office, head swiveling to find the source of deliciousness. The move made Meredeth grin. 'Hungry, Detective Beckett?'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	36. Preparations

'Italian?'

'She doesn't like pasta much. Lasagne, but that's about it.'

'Okay, how about French?'

'Too much butter and cream.'

'Thai?'

Too spicy, she's had really bad heartburn and gas since Christmas.'

Dave laughed, leaned his elbows on the push-bar of the shopping cart at Gristedes while he tickled Carey in his baby-seat. 'Has pregnancy made her a little picky or something?'

'If by 'something' you mean me still lacking in the culinary skills to make my wife a fancy dinner, then yes.' Esposito stared at the sea of fresh vegetables. He was a wash-and-munch kinda guy when it came to greener selections. Now, when he'd had to treat them as ingredients, it was a whole different story.

He'd never been so terrified of potatoes in his life.

'I'm sure you don't have to do this, man,' Dave said, making sure his son didn't reach over and start gumming a grapefruit. The kid was start to teeth early and thought everything he put in his hands was edible. 'I think she'd have loved the hockey game on its own.'

Esposito glanced up from where he was putting tomatoes in a bag. There was always something you could do with tomatoes. 'Dave, think back to when Lanie was twenty-nine weeks and four days pregnant. Imagine you got called early in the morning, at the ass-crack of dawn early and you not only had to cut plans for your day off but you also had to dump Jayla's son with her because her husband was working time and a half, and after Jayla's man picks up her boy, Lanie made fresh hot lunch for you and Jayla and the others on your team because she doesn't want you stressed out at work.' He dumped the fruit into the cart. 'Meredeth is getting tickets and a nice meal from me.'

They shoved the cart towards the deli cheese counter and Dave pursed his lips when he saw feta was on half price. 'Hey, what about Greek food? She like that?'

'Actually, that sounds genius. She loves Greek food.'

'Okay.' Knowing what they needed now, Dave wheeled the cart. '_Suivez-moi_, if you please.'

* * *

They made it back to Chelsea in good time and the moment they hit the door Artie was taken to the curb, Carey was set up in his high chair and they got to work. This part at least Esposito knew he was good at. He was Meredeth's 'helper monkey'; he could peel and chop and shred like a champion. The trick for him was putting it together the way she did.

With Dave helping him though, and the Blackhawks game on the tube, Esposito figured making his baby-mama a feast would be a cinch.

'How exactly are we getting around Meredeth to surprise her?'

'She's with Lanie back-up coach at the birthing class. Honey-Milk suggested it would be a good idea to have at least one session where she is present on her own.'

'Ah. Yeah, we did that too, with Jenny. Is she going to be in the room?'

Esposito nodded, drained the washed tomatoes before he began slicing them. 'Harvey is using the same team he used with Lanie when she had Carey. What do you think of the name Max?'

'Max?'

'Yeah. We're thinking we have a boy. Maximilian Alejo Esposito.'

'It's good. Dignified if you leave it long, and cool if you shorten it.'

Esposito laughed. Apparently he subscribed to the 'child-sexy-boardroom' school of thought like Meredeth. Though truth be told, there was a lot of value in it. 'Is that why you call your little man Carey?'

'Sort of. It's also to keep it straight between this one and Detective Ryan. Plus Carey Parrish-Robbins has a good rhythm to it.'

'It does. Okay, what am I doing here?'

'Tomatoes are done, next is onions or spinach, take your pick.'

'Pa-doos spiz?' Carey babbled, looking up at his dad hopefully.

'You got it, pal.' Dave dried his hands, pulled his bottle of juice from the fridge. 'Knock yourself out, big boy.'

'Bo-bo-bo.'

'See what if I can't do that?' Esposito asked carefully, dumping washed spinach into . 'What if I can't pick out what my kid's babbling about?'

'Oh trust me, you don't at first and it's like trial and error. It's all a learning curve but you'll be fine. Besides, you got me and Castle and Gil, and most of all you've got your best friend to help you, too. And Lanie's so excited to pass on what she knows to Mere.'

* * *

While their husbands were making dinner in Chelsea, Lanie and Meredeth were working their way through some breathing exercises with Amelia and Honey-Milk in the birth class. It felt a little funny not to have her solid husband against her back when she did practice contractions and learned about her breathing management but she also liked that she had one of her best friends with her who'd also had a baby. Once the exercise was done, it was break-time and while most women were getting up to pee, Meredeth was quite content to chill with Lanie in the comfy beanbag chairs in the classroom.

'Mere, I'm telling you, you are going to knock it out,' Lanie said with a smile, rubbing her back, not at all surprised when she let out a belch. 'Feel better?'

'Yeah.'

'I used to get the burps because I was hungry when I was pregnant.'

Meredeth returned Lanie's proud grin. 'I think it was the garlic in that Caesar salad I had before coming to class.'

'You didn't eat with Javier?'

'No, I don't like coming to these classes on a full stomach. One night I'd made black-bean and chicken enchiladas and not only did I feel nauseous but I let a monster fart rip when we were doing that exercise we just finished.'

'How are we doing here, ladies?' Honey-Milk had come over after consulting with the couple beside them. 'Feeling a little better about the whole ordeal?'

'Yeah, although, I have to say I don't know how you did it without an epidural.'

Honey-Milk shook her head. 'Not everyone's crazy like I am. In fact, of the four of us who've had babies in our little tribe, I'm the only one who skipped the happy-juice. Soon it's going to be only one of five.'

'Why did you, if you don't mind me asking?' Lanie inquired, reaching for her glass of complimentary orange juice; the little room had had a plate of healthy snacks and juices set up for everyone to munch on. 'Was it really that painless?'

'No, but it wasn't Death Valley, either. Honestly, I just didn't want to be drugged up. There's no really deep philosophical explanation. I just didn't want them.'

'You're nuts.'

'Kevin thought so too, which was why he turned into such a pansy,' Honey-Milk laughed, remembering fondly how irritating a mother-hen her husband had been. 'But he was wonderful in the birthing room. He even looked down there to see it actually wriggling out while he held onto my leg and my foot.'

'Javi and I think it's going to be a big baby,' Meredeth commented. 'And the position we've decided on as our go-to move for the birth itself doesn't exactly permit that.'

'If you're worried it means he won't want to have sex with you again, don't.' Lanie shook her head, drained her glass. 'Dave got a nice juicy shot of Carey's head popping out, and he still treats me like I'm a goddess of love.'

Honey-Milk nodded, folded her arms over her chest. 'We see how your hubby looks at you Mere, he's going to love you until the day he dies. And we also know that feeling is super-uber mutual. And not saying this is going to happen, but it's possible when you get in there, you'll change your minds. Kevin was determine he wasn't looking at it, yet once he did, he couldn't keep his eyes away and he started crying tears of joy.'

'I'm fully prepared for my big tough guy to be pouring like a faucet. Oof, mm, sweetie, yes I know it your class, but Mommy's talking right now,' Meredeth told her belly when she felt a hefty kick near her bladder. 'I know you want to be included but it's also time for grown-ups to talk, too. Stop looking at me like that,' she added, noting the mushy looks that Lanie and Honey-Milk were exchanging before looking back at her.

'Just so cute the way you're doing that now too. I used to tell my baby about how we find killers, when I was still doing autopsies.' Lanie combed her fingers through her hair. 'Dave would read him Shakespeare at night.'

'Really?'

She nodded. 'The baby really liked _MacBeth_ and _The Twelfth Night_ but not _The Merchant of Venice_. He read it twice and both times afterwards, I had really bad indigestion. Go figure.'

'This one really digs the Beach Boys, he or she just loves when I turn them on.' Meredeth drummed her fingers over her bump which was more like a mountain now. 'Takin' after Daddy already.'

* * *

The first thing Meredeth smelled when she and Lanie walked into the Chelsea townhouse was fried cheese and butter, like someone had made pizza or quesadilla. The second was roasted meat and she shook her head.

'The guys must have gotten take out,' she said, mock-pouting when Lanie crouched to unzip her boots. 'Thanks Mom.'

'I remember the days of not being able to touch my toes. Or my knees even. There we go.'

The girls wandered into the kitchen and Meredeth felt her heart skip a beat.

The table was set, covered in the winter table cloth with silver snowflakes threaded through it. On the table were some unscented taper candles in bright yellow waiting to be lit; the table itself was set and ready to be served. Underneath, Arturo was chewing on one of his dental toys and Dave was seated at the table, feeding Carey pureed bananas, most of which made it in his mouth. Carey saw his mother come in and he grinned around his spoon.

'Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma!' he gurgled, beating his hands on the high chair table-top. 'Ma-ma-ma!'

'Hi big boy!' Lanie went over and kissed the top of her son's head. 'What were you and Daddy and Uncle Javi up to?'

'Oh, this and that. He's upstairs getting the camera, by the way,' Dave added, leaning back to smack Lanie on the lips. 'How was class?'

'Meredeth's doing very well, she'll be pushing that baby out like a pro.'

'Hey gorgeous.'

Meredeth turned and saw her husband walk in with the video camera in hand, recording her. He always seemed to be doing that these days, and he called her 'gorgeous' even when she felt like a rampaging rhino would be sexier than her. She gave him a little wave. 'Hey handsome.'

'You are in for a treat, babe,' Esposito grinned, very proud of his accomplishment. 'Dave and I made dinner.'

'You cooked? And you're not in the burn unit?'

'Uh-huh. And not instant food either, we really made stuff.' Esposito set down the camera, gave Meredeth a long kiss that almost had her blushing to be kissed in such a way in front of their friends. 'We took Carey and went to Gristedes, and we're having souvlaki, potatoes, and Greek salad for dinner tonight. You and my baby hungry?'

Meredeth's stomach gave a loud gurgle. 'Guess that answers that question.'

They sat down, Meredeth getting the most comfortable chair - it had an extra cushion on it - while Dave poured red wine for Lanie, and white for himself and Esposito, and a glass of soft sparkly white grape juice for the mother-to-be. Before they started with the main course, the men presented their ladies with another treat - oven baked spanakopita. Meredeth bit into the bite-sized treat and was moaning in culinary delight.

'Oh, baby. Javi, this is amazing!'

'Yeah?'

'Hell, yeah. Have you been holding out on me all this time?'

'No,' he replied hastily, 'Dave showed me what to do, baby steps all the way.'

'It tastes great.'

They brought out the chicken souvlaki and roasted potatoes, served the salad on the side, and for the duration of the meal, there was only the sound of clanking cutlery. Esposito smiled, glad to see Meredeth wasn't poking at the meat like it might jump up and bite her in the nose, and even wanted to load up her plate with a little bit more. He stopped her, shook his head which had her pouting.

'I'm still hungry, babe.'

'There's baklava for dessert.'

'Really?'

'Okay, that part we got at the bakery already done, but we did get the chocolate fro-yo to go with it.'

'I'll get it.' Dave wiped his mouth on his napkin, jerked his head at Lanie. He knew his friend wanted a little one-on-one with Meredeth for this next part. 'Come give me a hand, Elenia.'

They stood up, leaving Meredeth and Esposito at the table where she smiled in gratitude at him.

'This was fantastic, Javi, I love you so much for doing this.'

'I love you too, Mere, but wait. There's more.'

'More?'

'I knew it was a really shitty thing I was stuck doing dumping Dell into your lap when you weren't even awake three days ago, and you not only looked after him, you made me and my co-workers lunch on top of it. You should be nominated for sainthood.'

'That's what this was for?' Doubly touched that he'd made it up to her by taking care of her like she had him, Meredeth pressed her hand to his cheek. 'You're too good to me.'

'Well, I didn't think a nice dinner was quite enough for my Danish angel, so here.' Esposito reached into his pocket, pulled out the tickets and watched Meredeth's eyes go round with glee, glittering like sapphires. 'You and me, Saturday night, we're hitting the Garden.'

'Oh my god!' Meredeth's voice was a squeak that could put Betty Boop to shame. 'Javi, you didn't have to do this!'

'Yes I did. You're my Meredeth, and even when you've been growing our baby you've still been an amazing cop wife, dealing with shit all in stride. You deserve the best I can give you, because I love you so much.'

Meredeth grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulled him in for a juicy kiss. 'I love you so much, too, and you are so getting laid when our guests leave.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	37. Sleepy Days: 31 Weeks

'You want me there?'

'Yeah, I do.'

Meredeth shook her head in confusion as she watched Esposito massage her feet and legs. The news that her husband wanted her to watch part of the Doran trial with him was not what she expected to hear when he arrived home after a long day.

'You're not testifying, are you?'

'No, but the captain has asked Ryan and myself to be there. He's going to be testifying as the rep for the precinct, and he'll set the tone in this three-ring circus.'

Esposito shook his head, glad to have the task of massaging his pregnant wife's tender and swollen legs for something to concentrate on. 'The media hasn't been tipped that it was Ryan and I who caught the case, but some palms had to be greased to keep it that way.'

'I know, I didn't read anything in the _Ledger_ or online in the gossip columns. Those guys are the worst, particularly Perez Hilton.'

'I didn't know Paris Hilton was a columnist.'

'No,' Meredeth laughed, shifting on the couch so she could find a more comfortable position. The baby had gone to sleep for its post-dinner nap and was using her small intestine as a body pillow, it seemed. 'Not Paris Hilton, _Perez_ Hilton, this hidi-odiously catty gay man who some how has made a career out of being a snarky bitch and blogging about people on line. No one is sacred on his radar.'

'He say anything about you?'

'Yeah, about four months ago. One of my Twitter followers apparently snapped a photo of me walking to meet Lanie for Christmas shopping. Somehow it wound up in his greedy gun-sight so he made the jibe that I was turning into Jabba the Hut, and that I was on my way to making Kirstie Alley look like a pencil.'

'Bitch indeed.'

'I didn't see it but Robina did and wanted to sue him for slander because even though I had announced my pregnancy by then to the public and _Access Hollywood _ran a very nice article on us-'

'I remember that, they were really cool.'

'-there was no mention of it in his article.' Meredeth reached down for her nice and delicious peachy-mango smoothie, sipped through a purple straw. 'How did we get on that topic?'

'Greasing palms over keeping the Doran case quiet.'

'Right. Sorry, Javi, it's this pregnancy brain thing, I thought it'd mostly gone away.'

'No worries my love.' Esposito glanced up, flashed one of his signature cocky grins. 'Conversation with you is many things but it's never boring. How's that feel?'

'So good. I was trying to do some baking earlier but when I stood up I wanted a chair and when I sat down I was fidgety and out of sorts. I love our baby but I'm getting fussy about the belly.'

'_Baby Boom_ said that's a natural feeling right now, because the baby's movements are slowing down so it can assume the position. It will also make you feel less energetic but that's okay too.'

'But it's my job, Javi, to run the house.' Meredeth sucked down more smoothie. 'That's the balance in our partnership. You go out and be a cop, I'm here writing and taking care of things, and-'

'Mere, Mere, Mere,' Esposito cut her off, squeezed her leg in support. 'The only thing I want you to worry about right now is making sure our baby stays safe and healthy inside you. The bills get paid, Artie's looked after, I come home safely to you and you are keeping our little one safe. _That's_ the balance right now. Oh, baby, it's okay.'

'I still feel guilty.' Meredeth sniffled, the hormones raging away inside her. 'I feel like this big lazy whale, 'cause all I've wanted to do for the last week is eat and sleep and occasionally use the bathroom or cleanse myself when necessary.'

'You're nothing of the kind. No one is going to judge you.'

'Lanie was in the field when she was in labour.'

'Lanie's insane,' Esposito returned. 'I don't hit women but if you acted like that, I'd make an exception.'

'So what, I'm just supposed to be like a spoiled diva house wife, flake out and watch the soaps while I eat chocolate or something?'

'Or you can have Lanie and Carey over, Lili's still only part time at the hotel because of her day-care situation, Honey-Milk and Beckett are both on shift work. I'm sure they'd all love to spend time with you.'

Meredeth nodded, thought about it. 'I think I want to have them here for a girls' night.'

'I think that sounds great. I'll sucker Castle into a boys-club card night, let you ladies do your thing.'

'Rosie and Dell and Carey, too. They can come here.'

'Actually...nah, nevermind, it's stupid.' Esposito waved himself off before sounded like a real bonehead.

'No, what? Tell me.'

'I was gong to say we can take Dell with us, I think he'd get a kick out of a couple of rounds of cards with the big boys, and then Ryan can put him to bed in Castle's spare room, keep the two-way with him. But I also know he's addicted to your tummy and god forbid we should deprive him of that.'

'I think,' Meredeth said when her husband trailed off, still rubbing her legs, 'that sounds fantastic. I'm sure your mom and dad wouldn't mind looking after Rosie and Lanie said that Jayla's offered to baby-sit when she needs it and their schedules line up. Just promise me one thing.'

'Sure.'

'Don't let Castle let a two and a half year old gamble.'

* * *

The following morning when they got to the courthouse, Meredeth saw why he was in his plains clothes - the crush of reporters on the stairs was even worse than the kind that stalked some celebrities on a daily basis, and they were looking for the unmarked police issue cars, official-looking people in suits walking up the main aisle of the massive staircase being assaulted both physically and verbally by questions swarmed together like flies in a garbage dump.

'I see what you mean,' Meredeth murmured as they walked up the side stairs, avoiding the throng. 'That's just nuts, it's like sharks at a feeding frenzy. What room are we in?'

'M-Six, which is main-floor in the east wing. Let's go, I don't want Ryan thinking we're not coming.'

After making their way to M-Six in the east wing, they found Ryan equally under-dressed and sitting beside his jacket; he'd laid the warm leather coat on the bench beside him in a successful effort to hold them some space. Once seated, all three found themselves staring at the prisoner docket and seeing the once-handsome police captain, a man revered and respected by friends, family and co-workers with an almost universal acclaim.

He lifted the hand that had been resting on Meredeth's leg and brushed it over her belly, felt the turning kick there, like it was doing an instant replay in slow-mo. The smile on his face was grim and serious, for as he touched her stomach, Judge Markaway came in and the court rose; somehow Meredeth managed to do so without any assistance. Markaway seated them and entered the not guilty plea from Mike Doran into the court's record via the stenographer before motioning to the lawyers to begin their opening arguments.

'That's Ian Link, he's the guy who filled in Jack Buckley's old slot,' Esposito murmured to Meredeth, keeping her up to speed as the ADA began to speak. 'He's young but he's smart as a whip and tight as a razor.'

'He's also the guy who pinned Scarlett Price to the wall and made sure she served time for the prostitution ring that got Buckley killed,' Ryan added, remembering the bizarre coincidence of it.

The lawyers had finished their remarks and Link was calling the first witness to the stand.

'State your name and your relationship to this case, please,' he instructed.

'Montgomery, Captain Roy, and I was put in charge of this investigation after the initial investigative officers made the connections between the death of Angela Doran and Timo Ross.'

'Summarize for us what your initial investigation revealed, please Detective.'

Montgomery turned in his chair slightly so that he was addressing the jury specifically but subtly. 'The officers responding to the nine-eleven call that a body had been found in the alleyway behind the Milk-and-Honey Creamery treated it like a routine case however upon further investigation of documents recovered by said investigative team demonstrated that the deceased woman, Angela Doran, was angry with the defendant after discovering some horrible truth.'

'These are photocopies of information printed from Angela Doran's diary.' Link held up a sheaf of papers. 'And these are phone records belonging to the victim. Do you recognize them, Captain?'

'Yes sir. These are the documents used by the officers to investigate Angela's death.'

'Why is he walking through it in baby steps like this?' Meredeth whispered, massaging her belly where the baby had head-butted her spleen.

'So they can see why it had to be taken over by a task force,' Esposito whispered back, 'the jury won't have any gaps and they can get a full picture of just what was done to her, that her father ordered done, and more importantly, that it wasn't the first time he'd done it either.'

She nodded, stayed focused on the sound of Montgomery's voice as he used that patiently paternal voice that never once veered into condescension. It was what made him such a good commander. When the defense cross-examined Montgomery and he held his own against the slimy bastard, he was relieved of his testimonial duties and the pathologist Weaver was called to the stand. As they went through the list of injuries and beatings that Angela had taken prior to her death before being strangled, Meredeth looked down to see her husband gripping her hand tightly as his jaw clenched.

'It's okay,' she murmured to him, squeezing back and rubbing his arm. 'It's okay Javi.'

Thankfully after Weaver's testimony the judge called a short recess before bringing in the character and eye witnesses, allowing the trio to get some fresh air in the hallway outside the courtroom. Meredeth, sat down on a bench, thankful it had an armrest so she could rest an elbow or...something. She was too tired to care. Around her there was buzzing noises that resembled human chatter but Meredeth was miles away in her mind, in a marshmellow soft bed with Egyptian cotton sheets and her man giving her a back rub.

'Mere?'

'Mm.'

'Mere, we're going back in.'

'Okay, I'm just gonna stay here.'

Esposito looked up at Ryan in alarm. Meredeth's words were slurred together like she was talking in her sleep and she was too lethargic for it to be healthy. Esposito knelt in front of her and studied her face. It wasn't pale, but neither did it have her usual florid tone in her cheeks and her eyes were sunk under the weight of fatigue. 'Mere? Wake up, baby, come on.'

'No, just let me sleep, I'm so tired.'

'I'll get the car.'

Without a second thought, Esposito tossed Ryan his keys to the Nissan while he tried to get Meredeth at the very least awake. 'Mere, what's going on?'

'Sleepy and draggy, and I want to go home.'

'We're going to the hospital.'

'That's fine too. They have beds in hospitals.'

* * *

Esposito sat in the chair beside Meredeth's hospital bed, holding her hand and clenching his other into a fist. They'd gone to the fast-track at Saint-Vincent's and when Meredeth's intake blood pressure registered at ninety-eight over sixty-one they'd gotten her into a gown for a check right away and they were waiting for the doctor.

'Javi,' Meredeth mumbled, trying to squeeze his hand. 'Thank you.'

'Your my Meredeth and I love you. What else would I do?' Esposito kissed her brow, brushed away a few strands of hair from her face. 'I like you hair, by the way, from when you went to the spa and got it done. Looks cute.'

'Thanks.'

The door opened and it was Honey-Milk who came in, looking at Meredeth's chart with a cheery but stern expression. 'Harvey sent me to see if you were in really rough shape. He's in the final stages of a delivery and he'll be down soon.'

'I'm just so tired, Jenn.'

'Uh-huh. You've been drinking lots? Watching your salt and your hydrogenated oil intake?'

'Of course.'

'What about fluids, have you been drinking at least twenty ounces a day of liquids?'

'As close to it as I can get.'

'Hmm.' Honey-Milk set the chart aside, studied her friend. 'What about sleep, have you been sleeping on your back?'

'Every night for the last month, and it's been hell, it's the only position I can get a decent rest in.'

'You think that's why she's bottoming out?' Esposito asked.

'Yeah, I do. It's one of the easiest ways to wind up with low blood pressure during pregnancy.'

He nodded, shifted in his chair to put his free hand over top of Meredeth's. 'And is the baby okay?'

'Of course, but Harvey will do a sonogram just to double check. Low blood pressure isn't a big concern for most women, it's the high blood pressure that'll do you in every time.'

The door opened again and Harvey stepped in, looking freshly washed and smelling of sterile hospital soap. 'Hello Espositos, I see Meredeth's feeling a little sleepy.'

'Yes and I've talked to them both, it's most likely caused by sleep habits, sir,' Honey-Milk reported. 'She's been sleeping every night on her back for the last month.'

'Oh yeah, that'll do it.' Harvey popped the earbuds of his stethoscope in, moved the dish of it over her belly. 'Baby's heart beat is good and strong, so nothing to worry about there. But we're going to set you up on an IV of fluids for a few hours here and you need to start sleeping on your side, Meredeth, to avoid this. Even if you're awake and lying down on your side, that counts as resting.'

Esposito waited until Honey-Milk hooked up the tubes and needle to Meredeth's wrist, then toed off his boots and climbed into the bed behind her. He spooned his body up snugly, his hand resting on her belly to keep her close so she could follow Harvey's instructions.

'Javi?'

'Right here, Mere.' He kissed the curve of her neck. 'I'm right here with you and our baby.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	38. We Are Family

Despite not being ordered by Harvey to be on bed rest, Meredeth took no chances and spent the next two and a half days on her couch and by the middle of the third day felt like her pregnant self. Ryan and his big flappy cellphone had told Montgomery who'd told Castle and Beckett, and Honey-Milk had called Lanie and Dave at home, who'd then passed the word on, while Esposito had called his parents, Lili and Constance. Much to his surprise, Constance hadn't flipped her lid and hopped the next flight to Miami, and after a little prodding, she explained to her grandson-in-law that she'd had the same low blood pressure during her pregnancy as well.

By the middle of the third day, Meredeth felt enough herself that she got up to do the laundry and make something to eat for herself since her husband had gone to Castle's for poker night; she really wanted him to enjoy a night with the guys after looking after her so well since she'd been in the hospital.

She was in the middle of browning ground turkey with her Tex-Mex spices when there was a knock on the door. Dusting her hands off, she went to the front door to answer it and her jaw dropped open.

'What are you all doing here?'

'Checking in on you, silly girl.' Lili marched in, a bag of groceries on her hip, followed by Beckett and Lanie, both in scrubby-looking sweats.

'I thought we weren't going to do girls' night since I was in the hospital.'

'Bullshit.' Lanie shook her head. 'Honey-Milk won't be here until after she's off at eight. In the meantime, you sit. We're not having any more of this low blood pressure non-sense. We're here to help.'

'With what?'

'We're going to clean this house for you, do the laundry, walk the dog and generally be the family you've grown to know and love,' Beckett explained, putting her hands on Meredeth's shoulders and guiding her back into the kitchen where she pulled out the chair with the double cushions, then pulled out her cell. 'Hi sweetie. Yeah we're here and she's just fine, Lili's going to help her finish dinner. Yes, I'll tell her. Love you too.'

'You're even scary when you're not being a cop,' Meredeth commented, as Lili came in and began unloading her reusable cloth sacks with fresh pasta and vegetables and other assorted goodies.'

'I'm making you some decent food, Mama's food,' she said to Meredeth. 'This is what I made for Cam when I was about a month or so from having Rosie, so I know it freezes well and my brother and you will both enjoy it. What is this on the stove?'

'Ground turkey with cumin, crushed red pepper and sweet chilli. I was going to make enchiladas.'

'Sounds excellent, with rice or straight meat and veggies?'

'Meat and veggies.'

'Good. I'll keep going on that part. Beckett, you are on laundry detail. Get a few baskets and round up all the clothings and we'll get them sorted out. Meredeth, you can direct.'

'Mere, where are you bathroom cleaners? Oh and I could use some paper towels and a couple of cleaning cloths.' Lanie came in, her silky black hair screwed up at the back of her head in a messy bun.

'Laundry room, beside the detergent and bleach.' A little dazed, Meredeth gestured towards the laundry room; Lanie bounced out and Beckett followed her to get a look at the washing machine.

In the kitchen, Lili scrubbed green peppers and sweet onions, as well as sweet potatoes; she knew they were a favourite of both her brother and his wife. 'You want a drink?'

'Yeah, a big glass of something cold and fruity. I think one of my shakes is still in there.'

Lili pulled it out of the fridge, making a mental note that Meredeth needed more smoothies made once the food was in the oven. 'So, did the doctor say why you had such low BP?'

'Sleeping on my back for the last month, it was causing a build up until my body decided nope, enough of that, time to rest up.'

'Ah, yeah, Cam always made me sleep on my side even when I was cranky at him for it. Can't believe Javi didn't do the same for you.'

Meredeth bristled a little. 'Lili, Javi's not a nurse, and he's taking good care of me.'

'I only meant that it seemed unusual because I've seen you two fall asleep together on the spare bed at Mami and Papa's and he's always cuddled up with you when you sleep.'

'Well, I've been having back cramps and we figured out the best way to alleviate them was me sleeping on my back.'

'Ah, see, now that makes sense. God, what, you think I don't know how he dotes on you, how he's acting like you're the first woman ever to have a baby?'

'I'm the first woman to have _his_ baby,' Meredeth pointed out, which had Lili laughing in agreement. 'So it's natural he'd be a little over zealous.'

'Never thought of it like that. Now, more importantly. How are you feeling with your heartburn and indigestion and that? I want to know if I can add in a little jalapeno to the salsa.'

Meredeth shook her head. 'Try it and you'll face your brother's wrath if I so much as hiccup wrong.'

'Fair point. What about beans?'

'Small amounts, no black beans. They taste great but they give me awful gas now.'

Lili nodded, continuing her prep work. 'So, you've got about a month and a half to go, you getting nervous?'

'A little. The birth classes have helped the whole spectre of the pushing.'

'I wouldn't know about that. Cam and I attended those too and they turned to be a moot point since I had an emergency c-section.'

'What did it feel like?' Meredeth blurted out before she could stop herself.

'Honestly, it was a relief because it was the quickest and safest way to get Rosie out of me. And Cam was right there with me, too. His face was the last thing I saw before they put me under in the OR, and he was telling me how much he loved me and he was so proud of me.'

'Oh, yeah, that thing.' Lanie came into the kitchen. 'I felt like such a wimp that I was crying and thought I couldn't handle the pain. Then when Carey came out, Dave is there telling me I was amazing and a champion. Where are your extra garbage bags?'

'Under the sink.'

Lanie snagged one and bounced out of the room again, and Meredeth once again found herself blurting out questions. 'Where are your children? I know Dell went with Ryan to card night, but what about Carey and Rosie?'

'Oh, they're both with Mama and Papi. When I told Mami we were coming here to help you, she offered to watch both our little ones. Rosie's getting to be quite the big helper.'

'Aw.'

'She'll be two in May, can you believe that?' Lili's face beamed with maternal pride. 'And she can say a bunch of things. Plus she's picked up a few words from that tricky Dell Ryan.'

'Oh? Like what?'

'Nothing bad, but she is using the one of his 'nooze' more and more often, especially when Cam's sleeping during the day because he's on nights or just finishing nights. Daddy 'noozey, Mama, she tells me.'

Meredeth smiled, wincing a little as she felt the baby turn over in her belly when Beckett came in the room with a couple of laundry baskets and the sac from the hamper in her bedroom.

'Do you sort by colours only or fabrics and colours?'

'Fabrics and colours, but mostly colours. I know what things can't be washed with what.

'Okay. Then we'll one at a time it on the big things, and the little things like socks and underwear is pretty self explanatory. Do you wash light to dark or how does your system work?'

'Whites, beiges, greys together and they go in first, then bright colours like oranges, pinks and reds, then cool colours like blues greens and yellows, then blacks and purples, jeans and towels go together and finally bed linens.'

Beckett nodded briskly and set about sorting the clothes into the laundry baskets, asking for verification on different items, creating a hand-wash and delicates pile as well. The notion that a decorated police officer was using her night off to help Meredeth sort her clothes to be cleaned was quite the heady experience for her, and when she saw a pair of Esposito's boxer shorts fly into the dark colours basket, she had to giggle. The noise made Beckett straighten up and look at her.

'Something wrong, Mere?'

'No, it just occurred to me that you're sorting your colleague's skivvies.'

'Correction. I am sorting laundry for my friend which includes her husband's drawers. If I have to actively thing that these-' Beckett held up another pair of boxers, these ones dark blue with silver squiggles on them, between forefinger and thumb - 'cover the ass of Detective Esposito I'll black out in terror. So ergo, they aren't Detective Esposito's, they're Javier's and belong to Meredeth's hubby.'

'Whatever you need to work,' Lili laughed. 'It's like when parents make nonsense noises at their kids. Anytime else, it sounds stupid and ridiculous, but when you're playing with your baby, making them happy and hearing them laugh is all that matters.'

'I can do it, you know,' Meredeth started, then stopped when both women stared her down.

'Meredeth, Esposito will have both our heads on a stick if he finds out we were here and letting you work. No.' Beckett shook her head. 'You can direct and point and instruct but you are not lifting anything heavier than your glass.'

'Speaking of which, you need a refill,' Lili agreed, turning on the kettle. 'I'm making some of that lovely red tea for you while I refill your smoothie stock. How do you feel about raspberry banana?'

* * *

By the time Honey-Milk arrived at quarter to nine when she was off her shift, the house all but sparkled. While Lanie, who was used to dealing with autopsy chemicals, handled the scrubbing of the bathrooms, Beckett had taken over vacuuming in between loads of laundry and set up the racks in the living room for the clothes that couldn't go in the dryer, and she'd made a little stack for the dry cleaner's of all Esposito's suit jackets. Lili had stayed in the kitchen with Meredeth, finishing their dinner up and making meals that would keep in the freezer so that the pressure of cooking frequently was taken off of her shoulders.

'I know this is probably very dangerous,' she admitted, 'but you might need to let him start sharing the kitchen duties, Mere. Get him a 'Cooking for Dummies' or something, he'd get a kick out of that.'

'I don't know, I mean it's a great idea, but he's worried enough about me, should I add that stress to him?' Meredeth scratched her head. 'It seems a little unfair.'

'I see your point.' Lili opened the cupboard, got out plates.

'You'd be surprised, I think, what your man is willing to do for you, though, while you're pregnant.' Happy to be in the company of friends and enjoy a hot cup of tea after work she didn't have to make, Honey-Milk flexed her toes inside her squishy slippers. 'You might not remember because we'd only just met you a few months before we found out we were pregnant, but Kevin was a notorious carnivore, and he gave up all meat to do the vegetarian thing with me towards the end of my pregnancy with Dell because eating beef and chicken and the other stuff really bothered me.'

'I kinda remember that. Mostly I just think of him as

The phone rang and Meredeth picked it up as Honey-Milk and Lili talked about different word pronunciations. 'Hello?'

'Hey baby.'

'Hi Javi, how's poker night?'

'Excellent. Dell is such a little card shark, we played a few rounds of Go Fish with him and Castle being Castle actually fixed it up somehow so that if Dell won he could rake in the chips.'

'Tell me you got pictures of that,' Meredeth pleaded.

'Tonnes. He'll be running World Series of Poker tournaments by the time he's in grade one.' Esposito paused, and she could hear the clinking of ice in a glass. 'How's the girl's night? Did they still come over.'

Meredeth glanced over where Beckett was coming out of the laundry room with a basket of towels for folding. 'You, ah, might say that.' She scratched her forehead, then her belly as the baby did another water-ballet turn. 'They came over and cleaned.'

'What do you mean, they came over and cleaned?'

'I mean Lili showed up with groceries to cook for us, Lanie scrubbed all three bathrooms down, and Beckett is folding our fresh laundry that she did.'

Esposito paused. 'We're getting them all nice bottles of wine.'

'Agreed.'

'Okay, can't talk long, just wanted to check in, see how you were feeling.'

'Much better.'

'Good, because I was thinking, if you're in the mood for it,' he murmured, dropping his voice into a whisper, 'We have a little Heart of Chelios in the fridge, don't we?'

Meredeth's nerve endings sizzled at the mention of the infamous cake. 'We do. And I even think there's chocolate sauce in the box, too.'

'Excellent. I'll see you around eleven or so. Love you.'

'Love you too, baby.'

She hung up the phone, saw Lili had plated up five enchiladas with a light mescalin mix on the side. 'That looks fantastic.'

'I made up another batch, minus the sauce and put them in Ziploc containers in the freezer so all you have to do is put them in the pan, sauce and cheese and heat to serve.'

'Sweet deal.'

The other two, who'd finished their tasks and were ready for a snack, came into the kitchen with the dog hot on their heels. Beckett and Arturo sniffed the air in equal measure. 'Mm-mm nothing like a nice family dinner.'

'I think,' Lanie said while they were picking up their plates and poured juice and water for their meals, 'we should try to play the name-game, because that is one of the most important parts of the pregnancy experience.'

As the conversation took off on this new route, Meredeth smiled and rubbed her belly. 'You are so loved, little one, you have no idea,' she murmured.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	39. Prince or Princess Who?

When Esposito got home after work, the first thing he heard was Meredeth talking aloud.

'That is Doctor Doppler and he's technically an amalgamation of Trelawny and Livesy, so that's cool, it's easy to understand why they blended the two characters for a children's movie.'

Esposito followed her voice over to the couch, where she was wrapped around a C-shaped body-pillow and tucked under his ancient NYPD throw blanket. There was a phone, a mug of tea and the remotes all lined up in front of her on the table. The dog was stretched out on his belly parallel to the couch and on screen was some highly colourful cartoon; Esposito could have sworn he heard the dude from _Frasier_ as one of the characters.

'Mere?'

'Hi, Javi,' she grinned widely, looking up at her husband who was watching her with piqued interest. 'It's afternoon movie time.'

'I see that.'

'We're all snuggled in and watching _Treasure Planet_. Best adaptation I've ever seen of the Stevenson book.'

Esposito grinned; it was one of Meredeth's favourite books and he knew that she'd put the audio-book version on the iBump. He stripped off his coat, his suit jacket and tie before he patted Meredeth's feet. She lifted them up and let them drop into his lap a little too close for comfort. He almost snapped about it, but remembered that she was going to be bringing their baby into the world in a few weeks time so he let it pass.

'How was your day?' he asked when she set the volume to half mute.

'Low-key. I'm getting to that nesty stage, according to the books. I want everything in the house just so, just right for when the baby comes. Tell me about poker last night, I was asleep when you got in.'

'I know, and snuggled up with that pillow too, good girl.' Esposito kneaded his hands into her legs; he could feel the slight build-up of fluid.

'I'm not the dog, you know.'

'I know, my love, just happy to see you following the doctor's instructions.'

'Sorry, that was mean.'

'No mean would have been adiding curse words in there. How's that feel?'

'A little to the left. Oh yeah, right there,' Meredeth sighed pleasurably, smiling at him as she felt his fingers working into her flesh. 'So, did Dell learn the difference between a high and low ace?'

'Nah, we played 'Go Fish' with him, and it was so funny. Castle paid him a dollar for every pair he made.'

'No.' Meredeth propped her head on her hand, since her current position. 'Seriously?'

'Seriously. Dell walked away fourteen dollars richer, and then a little while later, when Ryan had him ready for bed, Dell comes over to me and gives me two of his dollar bills, and says 'fo' my baby. Look fan-cy.'

'He did not.'

'He did too.' Esposito shifted his hips, reached for his wallet and pulled out the singles along with a note. 'Here, I'm supposed to give this to you as well.'

Meredeth looked at the little scrap of paper to examine the crayon drawing. There was a little blond stick figure, and a big stick figure with a round tummy; inside the round tummy was a little stick figure and all three were labeled with precise printing - Dell, Merry, Baby. 'This is too precious! We have to put it on the fridge.'

'I was thinking we might put it in a little frame on the baby's dresser, like a best-friends kind of thing.'

'Even better.'

'Something from the dollar store that Dell can pick out and buy with his money he won from Castle.'

Meredeth choked up a little at the thought. 'You are too cute.'

'How's my baby doing in there?'

'Good. Not as much action, he or she is starting to slow down a little more.'

'You getting hungry?'

'A little snacky, but not ready for dinner no. We had two medium sized lunches, one at eleven and one at two thirty.' Meredeth gave her belly a little hug. 'Mostly I'm just in the mood to chill right now.'

'Then chill we shall, maybe do a little Epic Mickey later?'

'Sure.'

Esposito leaned forward, grabbed the remotes off the table to turn the film back on. 'So tell me, and baby, more about this one. Who is that cat creature in the thigh-high boots?'

'Captain Amelia Smollet, very smart and slick.'

'You'd look good in a pair of those, I think. Castle's thinking of doing a family friendly Hallowe'en this year and a Disney character would fit right in,' Esposito started, then glancing over, saw Meredeth had dozed off again. 'Rest up, Mere.'

* * *

When Meredeth opened her eyes, the mutiny was underway and the heroic captain and Jmi Hawkins were fleeing the space-boat. She could feel her feet resting on the cushion, but when she heard the door open and Arturo's tags jingle she realized he'd taken the dog out.

'Hey sleepyhead,' he said cheerfully, seeing her sit up. 'How are you feeling?'

'I could go for some tea. Not hungry still.'

'You were only out for maybe twenty minutes, thirty tops. Artie's been fed and walked, and Lili called. She wanted to know if we'd watch Rosie tomorrow night, friends of Cam's from the hospital want to take them out for a movie. I said I'd double check with you.'

'Fine by me. Yes, your _prima _Rosie is coming over to play tomorrow night, isn't she?'

Meredeth spoke to the belly as she felt the soft nudge under her ribs, making Esposito grin. He couldn't wait until he saw their baby in her arms, all Dan-o-Rican and cute with Meredeth's long fingers and his chipmunk cheeks, and both their long dark eyelashes.

But they still had the birth itself to go through and he knew Meredeth was more comfortable but still nervous about it. Esposito knew that she would be a rock-star but Meredeth was feeling like she'd turn into a big blubbering wussy mess, to use her words. Even with the birth classes, the yoga, the pelvic exercises, the meditation, and her gab sessions with her girls, he got the impression that Meredeth was very afraid of letting everyone down and being a big disappointment to herself. It was also part of the reason he was glad she'd chosen the birthing position she had, so he could be as close to her as possible and keep her mental strength up when it came to zero hour.

'We still haven't decided on any names yet,' he said, coming over to help Meredeth to her feet; they headed into the kitchen so they could chat while he made her some tea. 'I mean, we've got the ones picked out if we have a boy, but what if it's a girl?'

'I thought we agreed, we like Tessiana Marie?' Meredeth looked at him quizzically, resting her heels on the opposite chair when she sat down. 'Or did you change your mind about that one?'

'No, no, I love it, I think it's great. I just feel like it's missing something at the beginning, you know?'

'Like what? We decided Maximillian Alejo Antonio was good, nice balance of you and me in there.'

'Why did we decide on Antonio again?' Esposito cocked his head to the side as Meredeth blushed a little. 'Mere?'

'Okay, promise you won't laugh at me?'

'I'll try.'

Meredeth's blush deepened. 'Okay, when I was in L.A. back in the fall, and I was staying with Chin, we watched _Generation Kill_, she's a total fangirl of that series. Anyways, we were watching and I couldn't help thinking the guy who played Poke could be your twin. The character's real name is Antonio and...' she trailed off when she caught him flexing a little in the oven door reflection. 'What are you doing?'

'You think I look like him?'

'He's way hot, but you're hotter. You have real battle scars, he's a Hollywood boy.'

Esposito sent her a fierce grin and despite feeling sixty-months pregnant Meredeth still got the flutter in her insides. '_Anyways_, the point is, Maximillian Alejo or Maximillian Alejo Antonio sounds good. Tessiana Marie is good too, but Something Tessiana Marie just sounds better.'

Meredeth mulled it over as she rubbed her hand over her belly. He did have a point, it had to be a good rhythm. 'Any ideas?'

'What about Sara?'

'Sara,' Meredeth repeated. 'It's nice.'

'But? I know you, I know there's a silent 'but' hiding there like a sniper.'

'Well, _sair-ah_ sounds good but _sah-rah_ in the Hispanic pronunciation sounds really close to 'sawdust' or 'sodomy' to my ears. How about Suzanna?'

'That's an option.' Suddenly struck by inspiration, Esposito went upstairs and came back a few minutes later with Meredeth's drafting easel, chart paper and a fistful of brightly coloured markers. Using the blue, he wrote the name 'Maximillian Alejo Antonio Esposito' with a smiley face beside it. Underneath, using the hot pink marker, he wrote _ Tessiana Marie Esposito and a little down-facing arrow. At the bottom of the page he drew three red x's for what she assumed were vetos, and underneath the arrow wrote the names 'Sara' and 'Suzanna'.

'There, now we can brainstorm with no overlap.'

He made Meredeth her pot of tea, poured her her a cup while he opted for a cold beer as they bounced around different names, pondering and selecting, arguing cheerfully on spelling variations.

'Margarita? Seriously? Why not call her Mai-Tai or Sex on the Beach?'

Esposito laughed, sipped his beer. 'Okay, no Margarita. What about Filipa?'

'Flipper?'

'Okay no on that one too.'

'Damn this is so much easier when I'm writing with Kristof.' Meredeth combed her fingers through her hair, laughed. 'I'm vetoing Tabitha, that's way too easy.'

'Agreed. What about Esperenza?'

'Oh, I like that.'

'Yeah?'

Meredeth nodded with dancing eyes. 'Esperenza Tessiana Marie Esposito. I really like that, it's like the name is book-ended.'

'You don't think it sounds like Joe Jonas?' Esposito asked, pleased when Meredeth shook her head. 'Okay, that's an option then.'

'Victoria?'

'No.' Now it was his turn to be vehement. 'No, no, no. You remember my story about Victoria Russo? That girl I wanted to be exclusive with and she wasn't interested in being involved with a cop?'

'Oh, right. She was your first lover.'

'First woman I had sex with,' Esposito corrected, gesturing with his beer. 'First lover came along a lot later.'

'Right. No Victoria. Serena?'

They continue their debate over a name - no this girl had been mean to one, or that girl had been a total two-faced slut with a bad reputation. None seemed to have the same ring as Esperenza did, and they turned the chart paper into something resembling a Jackson Pollock painting. By the time Meredeth had peed twice and drained her last cup of tea, she gave her husband a small smile.

'Well, looks like if we have a girl, we're naming her Esperenza Tessiana Marie Esposito.'

'That's a hell of a name.' Esposito looked at his wife, her face beautifully serene and calm. 'I'm surprised you didn't mention your grandmother's name.'

'What, Constance?'

'Yeah. Constance Tessiana Marie Esposito.' For fun, Esposito wrote it out on one of the few remaining blank spaces of the chart paper. 'What do you think?' he asked, looking over at Meredeth, whose face had gone blank. 'Mere?'

'Well shit, now you've done it.'

'What?'

'Now I like that one too, just as much as Esperenza.'

Esposito chuckled as he capped the marker, stood behind her to examine the damage they'd done to the name conundrum. They'd picked apart probably fifty names in the time they'd spent doing this, and the two that were standing out to him as well were Esperenza and Constance. 'Here's a thought, let's not chose.'

'So call the kid Constance Esperenza Tessiana Marie Esposito? That's not going to fit on a birth certificate, Javi,' Meredeth giggled.

'No, no.' Esposito kissed the top of her head. 'What if we let the baby decide? If it's got dark hair, like mine, she'll be Esperenza. If she's a fair maiden like you, Constance.'

'Sounds good to me. Should we do something like that if we have a boy?'

'What would you pick?'

'I'd say Maximillian Alejo if he's light-haired and if he's dark-haired, Antonio Alejo.'

'You really like that name, don't you?'

'I really do.'

'Okay then.' Esposito went over to the chart, flipped to a fresh page. 'If it's a boy with light hair, Maximillian Alejo, and if it's a girl with light hair, Constance Tessiana Marie. If it's a boy with dark hair, Antonio Alejo and if it's a girl with dark hair, Esperenza Tessiana Marie.'

'Deal.' Meredeth braced her hand on the table, shoved up. Her hand immediately went to the underside of her belly for support as she made sure she had her balance. 'Right now, I want a nice hot shower and now I'm in the mood for something to eat. Like fish on toast.'

'Fish on toast?'

'Yeah, haddock or pollock or something on toasted bread with mayo and lots of lettuce. Gotta have the green stuff to keep baby healthy.'

'Okay.'

Meredeth took the stairs slowly, undressed in the bedroom before going into the ensuite - more room to move around, and turned the water to a perfect temperature for a soothing shower. She picked up the bottle of cucumber soap, inhaled the sweet fragrance. She'd discovered that lavender, the traditional scent for soothing mothers to be, made her nauseous around eleven weeks and opted to stay with her usual cucumber instead. The cool, clean odor had her envisioning crystal clear pools of tranquil ocean water, with gently fluttering coconut palms and sugary white sand beaches, her man waiting for her in a sleek speed boat with a cold fruity drink in one hand and a bottle of sun-block in the other.

Apparently pregnancy hadn't affected her imagination in the slightest.

She smiled as she rubbed the soap over her unmistakably very pregnant belly and felt the baby give an impatient nudge near her stomach.

'I know, baby,' she murmured. 'It's almost dinner-time. Daddy takes such good care of us. There's no better daddy in the world, and I love him very much. I know you will too, because he's our Javi and he's the best.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	40. The Home Stretch Begins: 34 Weeks

Esposito yawned widely as he pulled to the curb outside Ryan's apartment building. He hadn't been sleeping much in the last week and he could feel it taking a toll on his body, though he'd been sharp enough to stay alert and awake on the job. But in the in-between moments, with no real focus - he could have found Ryan's place sleepwalking - he was starting to lose it.

The moment he saw his partner walk out of the lobby doors, Esposito popped out the driver's side, rounded the hood with a pause only to take the coffee cup from Ryan's hand.

'You're driving.'

'And good morning to you too, bro,' Ryan said dryly, recognizing the signs. 'A little trip to the ER last night for the soon to be new daddy?'

'No, just a little freak-out at home. She thought she was having contractions at three thirty this morning, but it turned out it was really bad gas cramps.' Esposito sipped his coffee, thankful for the kick of caffeine while Ryan navigated them towards the precinct. 'Then she couldn't get back to sleep and by the time she finally went down it was ten minutes before my alarm went off.'

'Aw. Yeah, that happened to Jenn once or twice too.'

'Did she break into exhausted tears and apologies?'

'Yep, you are most definitely living with a woman almost ready to give birth. How is she feeling after that little scare a few weeks ago?'

'Good, but she says if I ask her that more than five times in a single day I will be banished to the couch.'

Ryan laughed. 'Yep, been there too.'

They'd just made the turn onto Avenue of the Americas when Esposito's communicator blip-blipped and he took the call. 'Keep heading north, Ry,' he said when he ended the transmission, drained his coffee cup.

'We caught one?'

'Yeah, up on East Ninety-Third and Third.'

'The Barrio. Hey maybe we can stop at your mom's for breakfast.'

* * *

The scene was indoors, which was somewhat more helpful to keep them out of the damp March winds but when they saw they'd tagged Perlmutter instead of Weaver, Esposito could feel the energy he'd caught from the few minutes of shut-eye he'd nabbed in the car evaporating like smoke.

The victims were face-down, which he'd always thought was somehow comforting, because at least the person didn't see it coming and they were usually taken down with a single blow. This time, however, there was no such minimal feeling, as there were smears from where the female victim had tried to escape and dragged her body through the blood of the male victim.

'Cassidy and Robert Turner, residents at this address, both shot in the back of the head by the same caliber of weapon,' he stated in a surprisingly personable tone.

Uh, doc, forgive me for asking but why so cheery?'

'My oldest girl got early admission into The University of Western Ontario's commercial aviation program. She'll have a university degree and her pilot's license when she graduates.'

'Hey, that's great news, Perlmutter.'

'It'll be expensive since she's an international student even though it's only Canada, but they've got a great program at the school and it's nice country up there so what the hell, could be worse.'

'And he's back,' Esposito said when the dead-doctor followed the bodies before turning back to the scene. 'Okay so we've got two people dead in their homes, and the wife sees the husband either shot in front of her or she sees he's already dead and tries to hide from the attackers.'

'Perlmutter will be able to tell us which one it is.'

'Uh-huh. In the meantime, let's see what canvass turns up, phone records, the standard.'

They worked through the canvass of the neighbours, began to put together the picture of the Turners - nice couple but something always seemed a little off in the dynamic though none could really put a finger on it. Cassidy had the higher paying office-job working at a branch of State Farm in Mid-Town and Rob was a work-at-home web-site designer who would meet with his clients in their offices when necessary. No kids, so that had been a small blessing, but they did a lot of baby-sitting for Rob's sister Bella; that was mostly Rob since he had the at-home work.

By the time they got back to the precinct and were running phone numbers and financials while CSU techs had the cellphones and computers, Esposito was mostly awake and could almost think straight. He was glad for the work because every down moment he had went back to his very pregnant, almost ready to pop wife, and wondering if because she had even thought she'd had contractions that night he should have taken the morning to be with her.

'Esposito, where are you on the Turner financials?'

'Waiting on Visa records to come through from the back as I'm going through the standard accounts,' he replied without even looking up at Beckett.

'Sounds good, let me know if you find anything that pops.'

'Will do.'

'Everything okay?'

Esposito nodded, dragged a highlighter over the suspicious looking transaction. Now why would anyone spend two hundred dollars at The Martinique Boudoir yet not have the bag in the house? He knew the brand well, he'd bought Meredeth an anniversary present there once and once had been more than enough on his pitiful salary. Given that the neighbours could sense something odd about the dynamic of the relationship, it was definitely a red flag. He scrolled through the other purchases, and saw that there was other standard run of the mill purchases from similar shops like La Senza and Victoria Secret but once every six weeks or so, The Martinique Boudoir got a nice chunk of Rob Turner's chequing account. And it was only his account, Esposito noted; the joint account had regular household things, utility bills, grocery money, rent cheques, so he was quite obviously keeping this a secret from his wife.

'Found something possibly useful,' he said when Ryan ambled over from the elevator, a folder in his hands while Esposito studied their murder board. 'When you buy your wife fancy underpants, you do it on your credit card or your private account?'

'Why do you want to know about me buying Jenn lingerie?'

'Our boy Rob here, he was using his private account for his own fun money and was buying lingerie. A lot of it.'

'Maybe he liked to wear it? Remember our pals Cerise and Miss Poppy?'

'He was buying from La Senza, Victoria Secret _and_ The Martinique Boudoir, and a lot of the times, women keep those fold-up paper bags to reuse them for whatever, right?'

'Sure, Jenn does it for gift wrapping.'

'We went through the apartment, and there wasn't a single bag for The Martinique Boudoir. They've got very distinctive style - turquoise blue with purple flowers and white letters on the sides. Hard to miss, even in a crowded closet.'

'How do you know what Martinique Boudoir bags look like?' Ryan couldn't resist asking with a smirk.

'I got some for Meredeth for our first anniversary, and every time I see the bag, I think of that night.'

'Okay, before we cross a line that doesn't need to be crossed yet again,' Ryan added a mock shudder for emphasis, 'what's the big deal about this stuff?'

'Two things, one it's very pricey, and two...'

Esposito trailed off when his cell peeped Meredeth's ringtone. He felt his stomach do a double bounce; he couldn't press the talk button fast enough. 'Mere? Babe, is everything okay? Are you on your way to the hospital?'

On the other end of the line, Meredeth's laugh was quick and easy, half teasing him and half sympathetic. 'No, no, Javi, I'm going grocery shopping with Lanie, and they have pork roast on sale, you in the mood for that or you want something else like pasta?'

'Sure, sounds great.'

'Oh and also, Harvey called, he had a cancellation so we can see him on Wednesday along with Nicole instead of just Harvey on Friday morning. Are you cool for that?'

'I'll arrange it. You're feeling okay, though?'

'That's three, Javi, and it's barely noon,' she giggled.

'Okay, okay, I'll stop.'

'Love you.'

'Love you too.'

He hung up and didn't have to even blink to know that Ryan and Castle, who had joined them while he was busy having a mild heart-attack over the phone with Meredeth that they wer grinning at him with Daddy-Club grins. 'Shut up, shut up and shut up, I'm not even looking at you.'

'We didn't say a word bro.' Castle passed Esposito his 'Mr Lady Hawk' mug full of a fresh cappuccino. 'Ryan said you didn't get much rest last night.'

'Yeah, MEredeth thought she might be having Braxton-Hicks contractions but it was gas, and then she couldn't get back to sleep.'

'Did you try something hot to drink? That always worked for Jenny,' Ryan offered.

'I suggested it but she wasn't interested. And then she calls and is grocery shopping with Lanie and acts like everything's fine.'

'She's still doing all the cooking?' Castle looked a little affronted but Ryan gestured with his pen.

'Could be her way of doing the nesting thing. Jenny wanted the apartment clean and arranged but she wouldn't stop folding laundry. She always wanted to have the clothes clean.'

'What did you do?'

'I let her. Better to have a slightly crazy and happy pregnant wife than a very angry vengeful one.'

* * *

Two days later, Esposito was sitting beside his lovely whale of a wife in the exam room at the Saint Vincent clinic. He'd taken the day off not only to spend with Meredeth, but to catch up on some missed sleep, and Meredeth didn't blame him. It couldn't be easy living with a pregnant woman you loved beyond words and wanted nothing more than just to help but there was just no tangible way to do so. Hoping it would making him feel better, she stretched out her hand from her spot on the examination table in the clinic and sent him a bolstering smile.

'It won't take long, Javi, just a quick check up and talking to Harvey about admissions to the hospital the day of. I do want to check out what the hospital policy is on eating and drinking during labour, though. I've heard conflicting things.'

'Whatever you need, Mere.'

'Can I just say, I love you?'

'Of course.' He grinned, held her hand. 'I love you too.'

'You've been amazing, baby. I mean really. You've held my hand and let me cry or bitch or whatever I need. You help grease my rings off when my hands got too puffy,' she said, toying with her wedding and engagement bands on the chain around her neck where she wore them now, 'and made love with me even when I'm sure I looked like a porpoise.'

Esposito reached over, tucked her hair behind her ear. 'You're my Meredeth. What else would I be doing with my time?'

The door opened and Harvey walked in, along with Nicole and gave them both a wife smile. 'How are we feeling today, Esposito family?'

'Tired,' they chorused and Meredeth felt a little bump near her navel. 'I think baby agrees with us,' she added.

'Ah, yes, we're at about thirty-four weeks now, aren't we?'

'And five days, so almost thirty-five.' Knowing what part would come first, Meredeth adjusted her position so she was resting her heels in the stirrups. 'We're getting down to those final preparation stages, especially what we need to bring with us in our hospital bags, one for mommy, one for daddy and one for me.'

Harvey nodded; it was nice to see that the partners were taking equal concern for each other, but then, having listened to stories from his favourite pediatric nurse on his rotation, he also knew this particular new family had a great support system in young new parents. 'I have a list here, but it's mostly what you would think of, pyjamas, toiletries, slippers or sandals, going home clothes, underwear you can toss away once you've worn it, that kind of thing. I also recommend a small stuffed toy of some kind if you have one at home, just in case you needed it as a focus if nothing else is working when you're having contractions, as well as a very large ipod with lots of music that you find soothing and comforting.'

'The _Fantasia_ soundtrack. Lanie really liked it for herself, and I especially find the Beethoven pastoral suite very relaxing,' Meredeth said immediately, sliding her eyes over to her husband, who nodded in agreement. 'What about eating or drinking during labour?'

'No foods, I know that sounds harsh but the reason is that if you feel nauseous, it's easier on you body if you have to eject fluids only. Most clear beverages, like green or red tea, cranberry juice, apple juice are usually acceptable. No sugar drinks like Kool-Aid and certainly no carbonation, even if you feel like club soda or ginger-ale might soothe your stomach.'

'Okay. He can have whatever he can handle, though right?' Meredeth patted Esposito's arm, and Harvey nodded.

'It's important for you to have small meals consistently, Javi, because first babies often take their time, on average about ten hours and when you're coaching a partner through labour, it feels like a century. Given what I know about your friends and support system via Nurse Ryan, let them visit for about fifteen minutes every two hours will give you the pause time to collect yourself. Now that's not written in stone because we don't know what kind of labour she's going to have,' Harvey pointed out as he began to set up sonogram equipment. 'What I will say is you'll be less than useless if you don't take care of yourself as well during the labour, because if you're not up to snuff, you're won't be much help to Meredeth.'

'Fair point.'

Harvey snapped on his gloves and moved to the little tented area between Meredeth's feet, checked things out. 'Everything's looking good Meredeth, you're starting to efface and the baby's head is moving downwards. I don't think you're going to deliver early, you're more than likely going to be overdue.'

'You think so?'

'Mm-hmm. The baby's starting to find its position but it's doing so slowly. I'll see you back here in another two weeks, but for the most part, you should be at home, resting, no major activities like athletics or something like that. Meditation, soft yoga and plenty of water and rest, that's what you need right now.'

'Don't worry,' Esposito smiled. 'I'll see to it she gets both.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	41. Super Hubby

'You want me to do what?'

'Javi, it's not that big of a deal-'

'Uh, you're not the one who has to do it. It's gross.'

'Right because in the delivery room, all I have to do is close my eyes and wish really hard for the stork to drop the baby into my arms.'

Meredeth lay in her faux-satin pyjama top, no bottoms, on the bed, doing her best to stare her husband down and this was a trout that was clearly fighting the hook. She held up the little bottle of KY, wiggled it at him. 'Javi, this is really important.'

'It's still weird. I'm not your doctor.'

'Okay, you'd prefer Harvey to do this?'

Esposito wrinkled his nose, took the bottle from her. 'Explain what exactly massaging the perineum means, again?'

'It's a gentle kneading of the muscles where the baby's gonna shoot out of, so that when his or her head is crowning and I'm stretching like a rubber band, things won't tear.' Meredeth paused; he was a very intelligent man but even the smartest guys needed the point driven home. 'It's also to help avoid an episiotomy so that my body is used to the feeling of being stretched out.'

Esposito could feel the blood drain from his face. He was a homicide cop, a SWAT veteran; he'd seen his fair share of blood and guts, but there was nothing in the world more terrifying to him than the notion of Meredeth, his Danish angel, in pain. He knew what he signed on for being her birth coach because there wasn't a force in any dimension of the universe that would keep him from being by his wife's side when she brought their babies into the world. He also knew from listening to Harvey that the baby would be weighing in around eight pounds and that was a relatively large baby, and according to Harvey, babies like that were big in either two places, the head or the butt and all would be pushed into the world through the same ten centimetre opening.

The word 'ouch' seemed a gross understatement.

'Alright, alright.' Esposito took the tube from her, flipped open the top. 'Now, what do I do?'

'You're only going this far in-' Meredeth pointed to the middle knuckles of his index and middle fingers - 'with the pads of your fingers face towards my spine and just a gentle side to side motion, but with a little pressure, like my hoo-haa is a snowboarding half-pipe. Or like you're helping me grease a casserole.'

'That's it?' When Meredeth nodded, Esposito let out a shaky laugh. 'Oh, I can handle that, I violated you more when we got pregnant.'

'Why, what did you think I meant?'

'You don't wanna know. There.' Esposito slid his fingers inside her as she'd instructed, pressing down a little and moving back and forth. 'Like that?'

'Yep. And it only takes a few minutes every day, plus...' Meredeth trailed off for a moment. 'It helps keep the intimacy of our relationship going when I'm not really feeling so hot and sexy. Don't get me wrong, I love when we have sex but-'

'Mere, you don't have to justify lack of a sex drive to me. You're about sixty-two thousand weeks pregnant, you've got a lot going on in your body, I'd expect it to be the last thing on your mind.'

'But what about you, I mean-'

'If I need a quick drum-roll, I got no problem performing a drum-solo, especially,' he added, murmuring by her ear, 'when I've got such a great collection of home-videos to keep me company.'

Meredeth laughed. 'Dirty boy.'

When he'd finished attending to his wife, Esposito washed his hands off, then returned to see her staring at her underwear and pyjama bottoms. Despite the fact that they no longer needed the winter flannel linens on their bed, Meredeth was still wearing pants and shirt pyjamas, though he understood why after a little Internet research on babycenter-dot-com. During late stages of pregnancy, like where Meredeth was at, rolling over to be comfortable was a tricky affair and the slipperiness of satin pjs helped with that. So he'd picked her up a few pairs at a blowout warehouse sale in Jamaica Queens, and though they were the shiny faux satin fabric, Meredeth didn't given a damn, just that they fit well and he gotten her favourite colours - yellow, orange, purple, pink and green.

Tonight she'd chosen the deep aubergine purple ones and her soft, stretchy pregnancy-sized panties, and he knew she was really feeling pregnant when he saw the soft shimmer of tears in her eyes.

'Mere? You want a hand?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Okay.'

Esposito didnt' say a word as he picked up her underwear, knelt to help her pull them over her feet and up her legs to where she could bend and reach them to finish the job herself; he repeated the process with the long, comfy looking pants. He couldn't imagine how she was feeling that she'd become so large with their child that she couldn't even dress for bed on her own. Instead, when he stood back up, he turned her around so her back spooned against his chest and he held her tight, his arms between the underside of her breasts and her ginormous belly.

'I love you so much, Mere,' he murmured, kissing her temple, her neck, anywhere that he could breathe deep her scent. 'You're the most precious thing in my life.'

'Javi.' Meredeth turned her face towards his, her nose bumping his cheek. 'I love you too. I can't think of how many things you've done for me in the last eight months that...You're my superhero, my knight in shining armour. You'll be such an amazing daddy.'

'For Max or Tony or Tess.'

'Tess?'

'Yeah. If we have a girl, I think we should call her Tess or Tessi, short for Tessiana since that's the name we like best.'

'Okay then. For Max or Tony or Tessi.' Meredeth lifted her hands to touch his arms, keep him close. Here was comfort and arousal and gentle warrior-poet strength. The cop's shell around a romantic soul. 'So what do you feel like doing tonight?'

'Whatever you need.'

'Why don't we head downstairs, I'll park my fanny on that bean-bag cushion you got me that I like so much, and you can kick my ass at _Havana Hellcats: Rise of Santiago_.'

* * *

'So if I want to use the switch blade, I press 'B' but if I want to punch I have to press 'B' and 'Z' together?'

'Yeah, just like...'

Esposito trailed off as he watched Meredeth's avatar of the drug king-pin's girlfriend knee his low-level connected guy in the groin. 'That. Cheap shot.'

'Don't blame me, you're the one who said you'd use your connections to build our underground resistance and now I find out you're still trying to be a bootlick to Suarez Senior.'

He laughed, as they grappled and the on-screen avatars turned their fistfight into a seduction. Since their on-screen counterparts were occupied, he reached for his drink on the coffee table. 'You know what this reminds me of?'

'What?'

'The first night we spent together.'

Meredeth laughed, then let out a sharp 'oh'; Esposito immediately paused the game.

'Mere?'

'Just a kick. I've been lucky, the Braxton-Hicks haven't been as bad as they were, since I got that pillow and started sleeping on my side more.'

'Good. You ready to escape the compound in the dead of night?'

'Bring it.'

They made it as far as the first wall of the heavily guarded Havana compound before Meredeth paused the game herself. 'Babe, I know this will seem bizarre but...can you braid my hair?'

'Braid your hair?' Esposito repeated.

'Yeah. It's really annoying me and I want to use it as like a test run, you know, for the day of. I don't want my hair flopping around in my face when I'm in the delivery room. Lanie said that Dave did a haphazard French brain for her and even though it wasn't red-carpet stylish, it kept it off her face when Carey was born.'

'Okay then.'

Esposito disappeared and came back with Meredeth's hairbrush, a narrow-tooth comb and some hair ties. 'I've never had to do this, so could you walk me through it a little?'

'Sure.'

Meredeth explained with astonishing patience how to fold the strands of hair into a braid and how to add in more on top of each other so it was in a sleek tail off her face; her hair had grown long again - apparently a side effect of pregnancy was lustrous shiny locks - since she'd had it styled at the spa and even with the folds of the braid it still hit her shoulders. He darted off and grabbed a mirror for her to see his work and nodded again, forcing her eyes to stay dry. She'd already gotten sniffly once on him tonight, she wouldn't let it happen again, as there would be plenty of tears on both their parts in the delivery room.

'Thank you, baby, that looks great.'

'Yeah? It's not too pouffy or or-'

'Javi, it's for function, not style.' Meredeth gave him a boosting smile. 'Ya did good, Detective. But I don't know if the same can be said for your boy there,' she teased him, pointing to the screen as she picked up her controller and resumed the game.

They played until they'd escaped the compound and saved their progress, and Esposito helped her to her feet, groaning good-naturedly.

'I thought Nicole said you weren't getting any heavier?'

Meredeth gave him a little playful swat. During their appointment the day before, Nicole had noted that while Meredeth's size was increasing with the baby's change of positions, Meredeth herself had stopped actually gaining weight since her last appointment and clocked in at a healthy seventeen pound gain. Any changes in girth now was a result of the baby moving to get ready to come into the world and her caloric content was simply for keeping both of them healthy.

'You want me to sit on you?'

'Depends where you're sitting,' he teased back, wiggling his eyebrows, pleased when she laughed that sexy throat laugh of hers. 'See? You're thinking you're a mammoth blue whale now and I still want to love you up.'

'No wonder I'm crazy about you.'

Meredeth kissed him and as Artie came down the stairs, parked himself by the door to whine to go out; Esposito kissed her lips, then the tip of her nose. 'I'll take him out, you head on upstairs. You need your rest, even if you're lying down and reading. I'll bring you something to drink?'

'Ginger-ale with ice and a hot chocolate. Not sure if I want hot or cold but I definitely want sweet.'

'You got it.'

Fifteen minutes later, with the dog relieved and heading upstairs to his mistress, Esposito arranged a tray for her, knowing she'd be a little munchy feeling. He'd just arranged the fresh berries, gouda and water crackers on the plate for her - she was following Honey-Milk in that respect, want fruit and cheese twenty-four seven in the final countdown weeks - when his cell peeped Ryan's ring-tone.

'Esposito.'

'We caught a break. TSA just pulled Bella Samson out of a line at LaGuardia trying to use a passport under her maiden name on an open-return ticket to the Bahamas. I got Geoffs and Warner bringing her down to the precinct. I'll meet you in fifteen.'

'Okay.'

Esposito clicked off, a little irritated his interruption night on-call had been interrupted but when you caught a break like a person of interest trying to flee the country on a one-way ticket, you took it and ran like hell. He took the tray up to Meredeth, who was tucked into bed with her side-sleeping pillow, her portable DVD player and the dog at the foot of the bed. Setting the tray in the space he'd have been occupying, he knew Meredeth was truly a cop's wife when she didn't turn a hair to ask, 'You got a call?'

'Bella Samson trying to skip town to the Bahamas under the name Bella Turner. She's on her way to the precinct and Ryan's coming to get me in fifteen.'

'There's some fish left over from dinner in the fridge and salad, and I think there's a packet of Ryan's cookies in the freezer if you're feeling generous.'

Esposito smiled as he stripped off his pyjama pants and tugged on dark khakis and a coordinating pullover, assembled his gear on his belt. 'I'll call you soon as I can. Gimme one for good luck.'

She kissed him, their hands joined on the mountain of her body, and she murmured 'I love you,' against his lips.

'Love you too. And you too baby,' he added, kissing the bump.

He headed downstairs, bag in hand before he went into the kitchen and threw together a quick lunch-kit - the poached haddock from dinner on salad, croutons, cheese and some kind of creamy dressing, along with some tortilla chips for pensive munching and two bottles of iced tea; there weren't any cookies, but he did find some apple pie empenadas still in the freezer from Meredeth's Christmas baking. Ryan liked anything homemade so he knew his partner would appreciate whatever he brought.

He'd just finished filling up his to-go thermos with espresso and steamed milk when he heard the wheels outside the front door. He grabbed his weapon out of its locked drawer, holstered it and locked the door behind him before meeting Ryan at the Crown Vic.

'You didn't think to make me a coffee? What, you got a pregnant wife or something that needs your attention?' he said on a grin through the rolled down window.

'Actually I do.'

Esposito tossed his bag in the back seat, hopped in the passenger side. Though Ryan's driving skills were occasionally questionable, he also knew the streets better at night having spent more years on a street-beat than Esposito did; he'd gone through usual traffic-beat while Esposito had gunned straight from water patrol straight into SWAT before moving into the Narc bureau. On top of which, Esposito didn't trust himself yet with the sleep deprivation he was logging from looking after Meredeth. He knew that deprivation would stay there even after the baby was born but he also knew that the baby would find a routine and it would be slightly more settled.

At least he hoped it would.

'You guys getting in one last hurrah before no sex for the next three months?' Ryan needled him.

'Just for that, I'm not sharing my apple pie empenadas with you.'

Ryan's pout kept Esposito as warm as his coffee all the way to the precinct.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	42. The First One: 35 Weeks

_Hello all, I know it's been awhile since I checked in with you but I cannot thank you enough for all your lovely reviews and encouragement on my stories. We're almost at the big day! Hope you're anticipating it as much as I have! _

* * *

Meredeth was awoken in the middle of the night by a sharp pain in her belly. She'd dozed off comfortably after a nice peaceful evening visiting with Lanie and Carey and Dave while her hubby was on an overnight shift at the station catching up on paperwork - he'd decided to use six weeks of his parental leave immediately following the birth, which meant a few more extra long nights right now getting things taken care of as much as he could.

As she lay in bed, she reached for the digital stopwatch that Esposito had made her purchase for timing contractions in case he wasn't at home or with her when she began her labour. She noted the time - one-fourteen in the morning - and sat up, using the meditative and pain relief breathing techniques she'd learned in her birthing class. At the end of the bed, Arturo had awoken and was staring at her with his look of concern; he was a smart dog and understood that something had been goig non with his mistress the last little while. Immediately he rounded to her side of the bed, put his giant chin in her lap and snuffled at the bump.

'Yeah, that's your new baby in there, they'll be here soon,' she murmured to her pet, 'sooner maybe than you think.'

Meredeth focused on her breathing, picking a spot on the wall to focus on as the pain subsided. Another glance at her watch told her it had last about forty seconds; she noted it on the note-pad she was keeping beside her bed in case this sort of thing started happening frequently.

She turned on some soft music on her iPod, The Ice Dance from _Edward Scissorhands_, and left her mind drift with it until she felt another sharp, tightening pain across her abdomen. She looked at her watch. One-thirty-one.

It went like this for another hour, until finally Meredeth decided it was time to call her husband. She picked up her bedside phone and dialed his cell; the moment she heard his voice she felt a greasy nervous excitement coat her insides.

'Mere? Baby, why are you awake?'

'I woke, I...think I'm having contractions, Javi.'

There was silence on the end of the phone for a few seconds, followed by his shaky response. 'Are you sure?'

'I think so. I woke up and they've been routine for the past hour, every fourteen to sixteen minutes, and lasting about forty seconds or so. Are you at the precinct?'

'Yeah, yeah...and I've got the car. Okay, ah, call Honey-Milk, she's at home with Dell and she's got her car in the garage. Get her to pick you up and I'll meet you guys at Saint Vincent's, the clinic entrance, not the ER.'

'Okay.'

'I love you.'

'I love you too.'

Meredeth hung up the phone, sat on the edge of the bed. She could definitely feel the outline of a foot against her skin; the baby was a kicker for sure. She carefully undressed, put on her street clothes, and picked up her purse which had all her necessary documents and health cards inside. When she dialed the number for Honey-Milk and Ryan's home phone, she felt another wave of sensation, this time of giddy excitement.

When Honey-Milk picked up on the third ring, her voice was thick and slurred with sleep.

'Huh-lo.'

'Jenny, it's Meredeth.'

'Mer-deth? Wass goin' on?'

'I think I'm having contractions and Javi has the car at the precinct, and-'

Now Jenny was wide awake, the nurse in her taking over. 'Have you been timing them? How long and how far apart?'

'They've been going on for about an hour and fifteen minutes and are about forty seconds long every sixteen minutes, I...' Meredeth's voice faded as she felt another hit. 'They definitely don't feel like Braxton-Hicks.'

'Okay. I'll get Dell in the and see you shortly. Have you called him?'

'Yes, he's going to meet us at the clinic entrance of Saint V's.'

'Sounds good. See you soon.'

* * *

'Ryan, I'm fine to drive.'

'No, no, you did it for me when Jenn was in false labour, I'll do the same when you wife's actually having a baby.'

Ryan steered the nifty little Nissan through the rain-dampened streets towards the hospital, absolutely elated that this might be the night his brother joined the daddy club. He'd picked a day a lot later than tonight in the office pool but he also knew that no one had picked today so there wouldn't be any gloaters if Little-Sposito made his or her appearance. 'Do you think it's a boy or a girl?'

'I honestly don't know, and don't care, I just want Meredeth and the baby to be healthy and whole when the labour is done.'

Esposito watched the people walking on the sidewalks. Thursdays had become the new Fridays, it seemed, everyone was out on the town - college students, street artists, vendors selling whatever disgusting product they could dream up. And he and Meredeth were about to add to that population, with a beautiful baby. A little bit of himself and a whole lot of Meredeth, he hoped.

They pulled in, parked in the underground lot, but when Esposito when to unlock the trunk, Ryan shook his head.

'First, we'll see if it's the real deal, and then we'll set up camp or not.'

'Right.' Esposito blinked, nodded once. 'Good plan.'

Ryan followed his partner inside, smiling at his back; it was nice to see even the straight-laced, steady-as-she-goes Esposito could be the storybook anxious daddy about-to-be. They found the clinic desk and Ryan recognized the woman in scrubs doing intake as a friend of his wife's.

'Hey Mauricia, has my wife brought in a woman in labour yet?'

'Yes, they just arrived, they're in E-Four. Are you the daddy?' Mauricia asked Esposito.

'Yeah, I am.'

'Good luck, she looks like she's doing fine so far.'

Esposito took off towards the exams rooms. He knew this area well since it was where Meredeth would come for her regular check-ups since Harvey spent more time in the hospital than his actual office in the building across the street. He found room four, and before shoving the door open, took a few breaths to calm himself on teh outside, even if inside he was a nervous wreck. His Meredeth needed her superhero Javi right now and by God he'd be that man for her.

When he walked in, composed as he could make himself, his heart leaped into his throat when he saw Meredeth in a hospital gown and lying under the sheets, like she was tucking in for bed. Her clothes were neatly folded on the counter in the room, boots neatly paired beside the garbage can. Beside her, Honey-Milk was helping her breathe through what he assumed had to be a contraction, and in the wide armchair in the corner was Dell, tucked into a ball and sleeping with his t-rex tucked under his arm.

'Javi,' Meredeth sighed when she saw him come in. 'You made it.'

'Of course I did. Nothing spices up paper work like your wife going into labour.'

'Did you bring the bags?'

'They're in the trunk. We'll get them out as soon as we know for sure this is the real deal, okay?'

Meredeth nodded, flexed her toes under the paper-thin sheet. She was nervous she'd started labour, even more nervous she'd psyched everyone out. The last thing she wanted to be was the pregnant lady who cried wolf at every gas bubble in her intestines. But she had the proof right there, she'd been having regular spasms under a minute every sixteen minutes. Surely this had to be it.

Before she had time to fret about it, Harvey came in, letting Ryan pass by with Dell asleep on his shoulder. He was in his scrubs instead of one of his suits, and had the look of someone having a very long night. 'Evening, all,' he said with a tired smile.'

'Busy night, Doctor?' Honey-Milk asked.

'I came on at ten and since then we've had two babies born via c-Section, one before midnight and one after. Let's find out if we're going to make my night a hat-trick.' Harvey pulled on fresh gloves. 'What time did the contractions start, Meredeth?'

'I was asleep and I woke up with one, and when I looked at the clock it was about quarter-past one in the morning. I wasn't sure if it was a contraction because it was waking up and I've had gas pains wake me up before. So I thought it'd be best to wait and time it, and after an hour or so, it looked like they really were contractions. They felt different from the Braxton-Hicks, like more painful.'

Harvey nodded, then drew the sheets up to give Meredeth a quick pelvic exam and when he was done, he stripped off the gloves, patted Meredeth's knee.

'Sorry, my dear. You're not dilated and your water's still intact. False alarm.'

'But..but they felt funny and different and my books said that they'll be regular and more painful,' Meredeth protested, then quieted when she felt Esposito hand on hers.

'I'll give you a few minutes and let the desk know it was a false labour.' Harvey had dealt with enough women near the end of pregnancy in his career to know that Meredeth wold feel nothing but guilt over this, so he slipped out quietly, let her family handle it.

In her room, Meredeth flopped back on the pillows, pressed her palm to her forehead. 'I feel so stupid.'

'Why?' Esposito looked at his wife, baffled as to why she was so angry at herself. Upset, he could understand since it wasn't time for their baby yet, but she was well and truly pissed off. 'You did the right thing.'

'No, I panicked like an _idiot_, and made you and Ryan cut your work nights short and woke Honey-Milk out of a dead sleep, made her pick me up in the middle of the night with a toddler in the back seat and for what? To have my doctor tell me it's a false alarm? What kind of person does that?'

'A pregnant woman who's about to have her first baby,' Honey-Milk soothed, brushing Meredeth hair back from her brow. 'And there is nothing wrong with a false alarm. When I was pregnant with Dell, I had three in four days, it happens sweetie.'

'But it's not fair to any of you,' Meredeth replied stubbornly, looking from her nurse to her husband. 'And you're trying to work nights, and...Oh, I'm so sorry.'

'Babe, it's fine,' Esposito reassured her, kissing her wrist and hoping he could make her feel a little better. 'It was a paper-work backlog.'

'And what if you had been? No, no, I can't have this happen anymore, the next time I call you, it has to be the real deal, I'm not going to be one of those stupid pregnant twits who expects everyone to drop everything for her just because she thinks she's dropping her shorty.'

As if to add to add to her already monumental guilt, Ryan came back in with a very heavy-eyed Dell; he'd evidently woken up when his father had plucked him out of the chair.

'Meredeth, my baby here?' he asked, propping his head on his stuffed dinosaur.

'No, sweetie, the baby's not coming yet. We thought he or she was, but not today,' Honey-Milk told him softly.

'Meredeth o-kay? No ouch?'

'She's fine. But we're spending the night with Auntie Merry just to make sure she's not alone,' Ryan added. 'We told the Captain what happened as we were leaving, he said we should take our days off tomorrow as scheduled, so I'm going to pick up some things for the clan here, and we'll see you and Javi back at your place in Chelsea. You want anything to eat? Pizza? Fruit? Those were Jenny's go-to foods when she had only a few weeks to go.'

'Pizza, four cheese from Petrelli's. It's her favourite,' Esposito said with a jerk of his head towards his bride.

This was enough to set Meredeth off again. 'Oh God! God damn it! Damn it damn it damn it!'

'Mere, you're going to give the unborn stress wrinkles.' Now all business, Esposito squeezed her hand tightly. 'Why are you so angry?'

'I thought this was it, I thought I'd recognize the difference between Braxton-Hicks and the real thing, and because I was wrong, I fucked up everyone else's night.'

'So what?'

'So, it's not right.'

'Mere, in case you didn't notice, having a baby puts you at the centre of things. What do you think it's going to be like when you actually have the baby? You'd be here just you and me while everyone was at work or at home?' When Meredeth didn't respond, Esposito shook his head, rose from his chair to give her a hug. 'My beautiful girl, you're so worried about the birth, you didn't stop to think of that?'

'No, I didn't.'

'You need a bite to eat and some rest.'

'And an apology to our friends,' Meredeth added. 'They're only trying to help.'

'No apology is needed, I think. They've been through this, they understand.'

Esposito helped her dress again and by the time they met Ryan and Honey-Milk outside the clinic doors, Dell was asleep again and Meredeth was mostly herself. Despite his protests, Meredeth found her mouth opening.

'I'm sorry for acting so childishly back there,' she started but was waved off by them both.

'Nonsense, Mere,' Honey-Milk told her as they walked towards the parking tower. 'The first false alarm, I was way worse than you, I was sobbing my eyes out, and just an holy mess.'

'How many did you have?'

'Four...in one week. Then nothing for almost another week, hardly any Braxton-Hicks, even. Then Lanie took me to the spa and the rest is history. See you soon.'

Esposito wrapped his arm around Meredeth's waist, led her to where Ryan had parked the Nissan. When he'd started the engine, helped her buckle in around her big bump, he buckled himself in and silently passed her a napkin to blot the tears he knew were starting to fall.

'So now we know what the false labour feels like,' he said, knowing she needed normalcy; when Meredeth cried cooing and soothing always made her feel tens times worse. 'And we'll order a little take-out, rest up, and we can spend all day tomorrow doing whatever you need, even if that means having a _Heroes_ vid-fest.'

Meredeth dabbed her eyes dry, emotions overrunning her body and her brain. 'I love you, Javi.'

'I love you too Mere.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	43. One More Time: 38 Weeks

Three weeks later, there was still no baby, and only two false starts, thought neither of them required hospital trips, now that Meredeth realized what the false labour felt like. The one time she was especially thankful, as it turned out to be very painful gas. The other time, Dave had been there, and he was well versed in dealing with pregnant women both personally with Lanie and professionally with Jayla so he assured her that it was once again false labour, and from what he could hear through his stethoscope from his field kit, she wouldn't be having the baby anytime soon.

So she stayed turtled in her Chelsea house, welcoming visitors like a queen granting an audience; she even had her sentry standing guard in the form of Arturo. Today, it was an afternoon tea with Beckett and Honey-Milk - they had the same day off this schedule rotation - while Dell played with his dinosaur toys on the living room floor. Meredeth could feel the bulk of her belly on her lap, as the baby had really dropped down and was assuming the position even more.

'So, a week until your due date, huh? You ready to blow up from nerves?' Honey-Milk asked, stirring lemon and sugar into Meredeth's cup before passing it to her.

'At this point, I think Javi's a little more worked up than I am because he's nervous he'll be on scene and I'll call him. Oh that's so tasty,' she sighed after tasting the tea. 'Is he still in the running for the bet?'

Beckett blinked, pretended innocence. 'I have no idea what you mean.'

'Oh, come on, Beckett, you always throw in for a baby pool. Javi won when Lanie had Carey, and we had quite a nice night together off those winnings I might add.' Meredeth studied her friend's face. 'You shorted the target didn't you?'

'Well, I figured since you were getting so big right around Christmas you were going to pop early, so I picked March twenty-two.'

'Nope. He or she is more than likely going to be overdue.' Meredeth swung her feet sideways onto the couch, and Beckett propped a cushy pillow underneath them. 'Thank you. Have you seen Artie around?'

'Yeah, he's underneath the kitchen table, nudging around that treats-ball thing.' Honey-Milk poured herself a tea, added light cream. 'Who's left in the baby pool?'

'Oh, tonnes of people. Karpowski, and Newman, and Geoffs, even Gil and the Captain got in on the action. Esposito played a gimme card though, and bet on the actual due date.'

'Well he went double or nothing on Lanie having her baby on the due date, and he won that one.'

'Whoever had a date after April first is closer to the truth I think.'

The house line rang, and Beckett reached over, since she was closest to the cordless handset. 'Esposito house. Oh hey, yeah she's right here. Hubby,' she told Meredeth, passing her the phone.

'Hey baby.'

'How's my mama Mere-bear feeling?'

'Refreshed. I'm having tea and snacks with my girls,' she replied with a smile.

'Quick question. How do you feel about staying at the Waldorf tonight?'

'What?'

On his end of the phone, Esposito grinned; he loved getting Meredeth all happy-flustered like this. 'Lili called me, she's got a room free and she's holding it until I call her back.'

'But, won't she get in trouble?'

'No, they always keep a few comped rooms on hold for VIP guests or people who've saved up their frequent flyer miles. She talked to her hospitality manager and he said it's ours if we want it for the night.'

'Sure, I guess. What about Artie?'

'Cam's on nights tonight, so Lili and Rosie would stay at our place, since there's more room for him there. Why don't you get your girls to help you pack a bag? Oh, and,' Esposito added in a lowered voice, 'I think we should put in a few of our massage oils from the toy box too.'

'Naughty. Okay, so you'll pick me up when you're off shift?'

'Yeah, I need to pack too. I'll text when I'm on my way. Love you.'

'Love you too.' Meredeth hung up and just stared at the phone before she began to giggle.

From their spots in the living room, Honey-Milk and Beckett exchanged glances. They knew Meredeth was fighting the worst of her hormones in this final leg of the baby race but they were at a loss as to what would make her laugh like a loon.

'Uh, Mere? Everything alright?'

'Oh, it's what I love about my life some days, the most random things happen. That was Javi; Lili got us a room at her hotel for the night, just a little pre-baby getaway.'

'At the Waldorf? That's so cool!' Tea forgotten, Honey-Milk popped up out of her chair. 'Let's go pack. Does he want you to pack for him? No, doesn't matter, you know what he'll want.'

* * *

He picked her up at six-thirty, and they checked in at seven and Meredeth realized that Lili was a tad more than a 'bean-counter' as she often referred to herself when the staff constantly referred to them as 'Mrs. George-Esposito's guests'.

'How'd she manage to score a room at last notice like this?' she hissed at Esposito as they rode up the elevator - the keycard only access elevator - to their room. 'I thought she was an accountant.'

'She is, but her job is to handle the deals through the travel companies, like Expedia, Sell-Off Vacations, Sunstar, things like that. Like, let's say you go onto Travelocity right and you see there's a deal - stay three nights at the Waldorf for only x-dollars. Lili and her assistants crunch those numbers for the hotel and tell the PR people, we can give this as a deal and still make money. Then when the travel agents call to say I need to book rooms for these deals, Reservation feeds it to Lili.'

'Ah, I gotcha. That is so much cooler than dealing with ledgers and stuff, why doesn't she tell more people that's what she does?'

'For this very reason.' The elevator doors dinged open and they stepped off onto their floor, followed the porter to their room where he opened the door. It was a room identical in layout to the one they'd spent the night of their engagement, but several floors higher. 'Lili doesn't want her friends bugging for free stuff. Can you imagine the annoyance that would cause if they knew she could set them up like this for free? She'd never have a moment's peace.'

'I guess then it'd make me a shitty sister-in-law to ask if room service is included, huh? Right, sorry, crumby,' she corrected as she felt the distinct shape of a hand give her spleen a swat. Meredeth rubbed her belly to ease the little cramp. 'The little one gives me a not-so-gentle reminder when I swear these days.'

'I see.'

Esposito watched her settle onto the bed, one hand supporting her tummy. 'Have I told you today how beautiful you are?'

'I think there was something about it over breakfast.' Merdeth smiled, leaned back so she was stretched out on the bed, immediately twisting to her side. 'Did I tell you how much I love you today?'

'I think there was something about it over breakfast,' he teased her back. 'I love you too, Mere. And to answer your question, these were included in our room package.' He held up two swipe cards for Peacock Alley. 'Twenty-dollars each, which may buy you a glass of ice here so if you're up for it, why don't we head across the street to Fabela's and have something warm and cozy since it promises to be a miserable and raining night?'

'Sounds great.'

* * *

They ended up with take-away from Fabela's instead, as by the time they wanted to eat, it was pouring rain and the last thing Esposito wanted was his baby-mama going out in the rain. She could slip, or get soaked and catch cold, all manner of things. So he ordered for them chicken club sandwiches on whole wheat with enough salad to feed an army of rabbits, along with the biggest fruit basket he could find in their deli display.

Esposito brought it back to the room and when he put it on the table of the kitchenette area, he looked around for his wife. 'Mere?' he called out.

'In the tub,' was her response.

He followed her voice and found her in the bath with fragrant coconut oils drifting up in the steam. Her hair was bundled on top of her head and she had a glass of something iced and fizzy on the bath tray in front of her. 'Bet that feels nice, doesn't it?'

'Very. And the temperature is fine, they're high dollar here so they have a little thermometer in the water so no I'm not going to boil the baby. You got food?'

'Chicken club and two kind of salad. No chips, no pretzels.'

'Good, good. And no tomatoes on my sandwich?'

Esposito laughed; she'd become terribly persnickity over tomatoes in the later stages of her pregnancy. 'Yes, Kevin, no tomatoes.'

'Har-har. I'm almost ready to get out here, you want to pull that little drain stopper thingy there?'

He did so, and waited until there was only soap bubbles left in the bottom of the tub before tugging her to her feet and helping her out. He stood her up in front of him, and began to gently rub and pat the traces of her bath away, marveling at the beauty of her body as he did so. It wouldn't be long until they would get to meet their mystery guest.

'Javi, I know this is probably a ludicrous thing to say, or even ask, but...since we're here in this nice hotel and all, and we may not get to for awhile, can we...you know...' she trailed off, embarrassed that she was actually asking her husband to make love with her. But they were a team, more than she realized and he kissed her bump.

'Of course Mere.'

'It's just...I know it's silly and insane, but I can't help it feeling so bloated and pregnant that you won't-'

Esposito stopped her worries by pressing his mouth to hers in a fierce kiss, tracing his fingertips over her cheek. 'Mere, what have I always told you?'

'That I could balloon up or shrink down and you'd still love me because I'm your Meredeth. Just like I always tell you you could do the same and you're my Javi.'

'Exactly, and it's as true then as it was now. I won't pretend to understand just what your body's been through in the last nine-ish months, but my god, I've never loved you more than watching our baby grow inside you.'

'Oh, Javi. Oh, oh, come on, come on,' Meredeth sniffled, waving her hands in front of her face. 'My hormones are so out of control right now, why did I get stuck with them at the end?' she laughed.

'Just lucky, I suppose. Come here.'

He wrapped his arms around her, thrilled when he couldn't reach behind her back. He couldn't even hug her as he wanted to, that's how close they were to having their baby. 'Do you know what I think when I see you this big?'

'I hope she loses the baby weight as quickly as possible?'

'Mere.'

'Okay, that was mean.'

'I think, that's my baby inside her. Mine. I did that, because she picked me. And when she's feeling horrible hormonal or wants to make love or needs a footrub or her hair braided, I'm the guy she leans on. Me.'

'You're my Javi,' she said to him, feeling the liquid rush inside as he kissed her again. 'So, um, you feel like it?'

'With you, always. But do you want to do your birth massage first?'

'Yeah, it'd be kinda gross if we made love and there was still some-'

'Okay, we don't need to finish that sentence,' he laughed, realizing what she was getting at. Taking her by the hand, he led her naked back into the bedroom, laid her on her side where she watched him undress.

So beautiful, she thought, and he'd chosen her too. He reached into her suitcase, pulled out the bottles of massage oils they'd been using for this bit of necessary baby preparation. He opted for the KY, for when he was done with the perineum massage, rather than slip his fingers out of her, he went in deeper, pleasuring her and making her sigh for him.

'Feels so good, Javi,' she murmured, loving the way he had one hand between her thighs and the other on her bump; she could feel the baby wiggling a little as her heart-rate increased from the touch her her husband's hands on her body. 'I love when you touch me.'

'I love touching you,' he murmured back to her, his mouth at the curve of her neck. He'd already grown a little hard when he'd helped her dry off from her bath so now, it didn't take much but the sound of her sweet moans under his hands to finish the job. With careful pressure he moved her top leg forward so he could slip into her from behind, keeping his hand on her hip. 'Mere, is this the most comfortable for you?'

'Yes, just like that.'

He grinned; she'd said the same thing when they'd made their baby the previous summer in Castle's boathouse, the day after the surprise wedding. It seemed fitting that since this would most likely be the last time they made love before becoming parents. He gently moved inside, making the pleasure for her soft and sweet and as lazy as possible; they'd both been reading that sex could be a trigger for contractions thanks to one kind of feel-good hormone released during orgasm and she was only at thirty-six weeks. But even in this style, Esposito was still making love with his wife and for him, that counted more than anything.

When they finished, and were cuddled in the glowing post-coital high, he kissed her naked shoulder. 'You know what this kind of reminds me of?'

'What?'

'That night about a week before your birthday, when we were first dating, when you stayed at my place during the Bodega stalker case.'

'I remember that.

'That was the first time I told you I loved you. You were asleep so you couldn't hear it,' he added when she turned to look at him. 'I was watching you sleep, because sleep was such a hard thing to come by for you in those days.'

'It will be soon enough once again, but for a much better reason.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	44. Holding Pattern: 40 Weeks & 2 Days

It was April second and Esposito was at Def-Con Two. From the moment he'd woken up the morning before and seen Meredeth sleeping as peacefully as woman with a a full term baby still inside could sleep, he hadn't let himself relax for a moment, because he knew the moment he did, one of two things would happen - either he'd drop into a coma or he'd miss something important.

But they had a doctor's appointment that morning with Harvey and he would do his level best not to drive Meredeth out of her mind with his anxiety. He knew this was more of a theory and ephemeral effort when he saw her narrowing her eyes at him as they ate breakfast - he'd used her homemade mix and made cinnamon raisin pancakes complete with strawberry syrup and fresh orange juice.

'Javi, I love you but you're making me feel like a zoo animal.'

'Hmm?'

'You're watching me eat and it's creeping me out,' she clarified, shifting a little on her seat so she wouldn't get indigestion. Now that the baby had dropped, she could breathe far easier as the added weight wasn't against her lungs. 'The doctor will tell us today if we need to have fifty-thousand backups for our backups or if we can ease back the throttle a little.'

'Does it feel like you're going to give birth soon?' he asked in such a tone that Meredeth couldn't help but giggle sympathetically.

'Oh, my love, all due respect to the time-honoured tradition of a first-time daddy, you are being paranoid.'

'That's part of the tradition.'

'I feel fine, I'm not having any gas pains or Braxton-Hicks, haven't for three days now, since that little incident the morning after we spent the night at the hotel.'

Esposito swallowed tightly; he still felt a tad guilty over that one. He'd woken up with Meredeth shaking his shoulder firmly, telling him she was having contractions again, and he spent the entire waiting time at the hospital thinking he and his penis had caused it because they both knew that sex was a potential firing gun for the labour process.

'I still think that nurse was an asshole,' he started, shoveling in pancakes as Meredeth shook her head with a smile at him, 'Telling me I shouldn't be intimate with my wife so close to her due date. What does she know? Harvey himself said our baby was more than likely going to be overdue and you haven't had a high-risk pregnancy despite your weight concerns so we should feel free to do so as often as we wanted. Clearly that woman has never had a good relationship or she had one and screwed it up and is now bitterly jealous whenever she sees happy couples still intimate this late in the game.'

'Feel better now?'

'Actually, I do.'

'Good, because you're on clean-up.' Meredeth gestured to the dishes, then gave her belly a light rub; she'd discovered light massage like that helped with her digestion after having such horrid stomach gas. 'I'm hitting the head and then we're off.'

* * *

'So you're plus a day, Meredeth. You getting excited?'

Meredeth smiled at Honey-Milk as she dripped the cold blue goop on the bulb of her belly. 'Yes and no. I mean one minute I'm thinking, I'll be fine, the next I'm going what if what if what.'

'All part of the miracle. Okay, let's have a monkey-see, here.' Honey-Milk moved the wand over Meredeth's bump, smiled. 'You've got a biggun in there, but a touch smaller than Carey. There's a hand and an arm, and a fantastic heartbeat.'

'Strong?' Esposito asked, standing by Meredeth's head and leaning his elbows on the edge of the bed.

'As a team of oxen.'

Meredeth smiled, then wrinkled her nose. 'Aw, the lips are moving. Or maybe they're chattering cuz of that gunk on me. I'm telling you, the moment you can figure out how to make that stuff heated, you'll be laughing all the way to the bank.'

'Ah, comments on cold blue gel heaters, it must be Meredeth,' Harvey said from the door way, again in his scrubs today. 'This will have to be quick and dirty, because I've got a young woman upstairs two centimetres away from pushing.'

With the speed and efficiency of a German train, Harvey tugged on his protective gloves and gave Meredeth her examination, then palpitated her belly, studied the sonogram reading.

'Okay, looking good here, Meredeth, you're definitely going to be waiting another three to six days at least.'

'At least?' Now Meredeth was concerned. 'Is that normal?'

'Quite. Seventy-five percent of babies arrive after the predicted date and only another five are born the day set by the OBGYN. If you get into the eight to ten day range then we start to talk about induction of labour. Right now, we want to let the baby turn more because he or she seems to want to come out sunny-side up.'

'Sunny-side up?'

'Most babies are born with their noses towards the mother's spine, and sunny-side up is what we call it when the nose faces the abdomen. It can mean for a more stressful labour, which is why right now the most important thing is for you to rest and stay sleeping on your side. If you have a comfortable couch, I'd recommend that for the next few days to let gravity do a little more work. If you haven't gone into labour or had your water break within the next ten days, though, I want to see you back here to talk about inducing labour.' Harvey peeled off his gloves, passed Meredeth a cloth to wipe the gel off her stomach. 'Are there any questions or concerns you have?'

'Are there any home remedies we can try to help it turn around?' Esposito asked, passing Meredeth her underwear and socks.

'There are some, though they tend to be the home remedies for inducing overdue babies as well,' Harvey started, but was cut off when his pager sounded. He checked it, nodded briskly. 'I'm sorry, I need to go, Brick and Joanna are saying that my patient is just about ready to start pushing. Nurse Ryan-'

'I've got it covered.'

Harvey signed a few papers, darted off, leaving Esposito to help Meredeth redress while Honey-Milk wrote a couple of notes down on a piece of paper so she wasn't watching Meredeth change; it felt a little absurd to Meredeth as within a week's time, Honey-Milk would get to see a very intimate part of her body with a baby wriggling out.

Once she was back in her comfortable street clothes, Meredeth sat on the padded exam table, swinging her legs. 'Here that? You're doing things the way you want to, just like your mama,' she murmured to the belly, then looked up when Honey-Milk cleared her throat. 'Sorry.'

'It's okay. I've been there, and hopefully I'll be there again soon.'

'Oh?' Now Esposito perked up; the idea of getting to tease Ryan about having another baby was music to his sleep-deprived ears, particularly after Ryan had got in some easy cheap shots at him in the last week or so and he'd been too self-focused to fight back. 'You got another one on the way?'

'We were trying and then we stopped, and then we tried again, and Dell was hospitalized, so we stopped for awhile. We might try again after the summer. We want one more but we also still want to do things with Dell just the three of us, and more we want him to understand that he isn't being replaced.' Honey-Milk handed over the list she'd written up. 'That is your list of ideas. Sleeping on the couch helps, it lets gravity do a lot of work for you, there's also castor oil and spicy foods, long walks, things like that.'

'Sounds easily manageable.'

'Tell you what, I know of a great Mexican spot that is all homemade, good stuff. I heard a bunch of women talking about it in your birth class. I'm off at six, and Kevin and I have late-show movie tickets, so we can come over and eat together, if you like.'

'That's a great idea. No, Mere,' Esposito said firmly when he saw his bride open her mouth to protest about not having a homemade meal. 'You are overdue, you are not cooking. You're following the doctor's orders and getting our baby to flip. Let me be the big bad superhero you think I am.'

She knew when he spoke like that it was much easier to go with it rather than protest. 'Okay.'

* * *

When he'd dropped Meredeth off at home, Esposito turned around and headed for the precinct, still feeling jumpy. He knew he was far more on edge than he realized when his cellphone jangled in Ryan's ring-tone and he nearly went through the roof. He flipped it open, thankful he was at a red light.

'What?'

'Court order came through on the Camille Swanson juvie record. Where are you?'

'Sixth and Forty-Fifth.'

'I'll meet you at the precinct. You started on the credit card history?'

'Yeah.'

There was a pause. 'Javi, you alright? Is Meredeth-'

'No, no baby time yet. Still another three to six days away Harvey said.'

'Damn. That sucks for you, and for me.'

'Why?'

'I had today picked in the baby pool.'

Esposito laughed at his partner's frustration. 'See you in a few bro. Oh and you and the boy and your lady are having dinner at our place tonight. I'll let your wife explain that one.'

Once at his desk in the bullpen, Esposito stared at the screen through his reading glasses and thought he didn't like admitting it, he noticed he got fewer headaches now when he was at his computer. It also made the microscopic printing on a credit card or bank statement easier, like the one in front of him when there was a tonne of purchases and payments in equal measure.

'Check this out,' he said when he sensed Castle's presence at his desk. 'She makes a purchase and then the same day it's posted to her credit card, it's paid off. Seems a little weird, doesn't it?'

'Not really. Alexis does the same thing. I got her an international Visa and Mastercard so she has her regular one and a back-up, and then she uses it to purchase everything, then she'll go online and use her Easy-Web account and pay it off so her balance is at zero.'

'But why would you do that when you've got two hundred dollar limit on your credit card?' Esposito pondered as Ryan walked up with a file in his hand.

'Looks like our girl Miss Swanson had a really bad history with spending. She'd take her mom's credit cards to do her mom's shopping and then make purchases on line. Shoes, clothes, books, DVD's the works,' he said, passing his partner the paperwork. 'So her mother got her into addiction counseling after she was busted for credit card fraud and part of her treatment was a limited card that she had to always keep balanced to zero after making purchases. It's also noted in the juvie record that Mom said she screwed it up even once and she'd be going to boot camp.'

'Talk about tough love,' Castle commented dryly.

'Tough love or whatever you want to call it, it was working too, because she hasn't been overdue, overdrawn or late on a transfer once since she started the addiction program, and she was even doing some part time college work while working down in Atlantic City at the Four Horses.'

'So if she's turned her life around why would someone want to put a pair of scissors in her ear?'

They went back over the phone records, the bank records, interview notes until their puzzlers were sore, and they were ready to call it a night. The minute he was in the elevator, Esposito phone Meredeth.

'Hi baby, how's everything uptown?'

'Good, frustrating. Got a break on the case you'll love to hear about.'

'Nice work.'

He heard her pause, give a little sigh and immediately his radar went off. 'Mere?'

'I'm good, just gassy, and horribly sweaty. I might draw a bath and soak before Honey-Milk and Ryan get here. Is Dell coming with?'

'I haven't a clue.'

'Alright. See you soon.'

* * *

'The pompero enchilada? Is that safe?'

'I once signed a waiver for hot wings, Javi. I'm okay with the pompero burrito.'

Esposito passed Meredeth the spicy food and its extra side of hot sauce. 'This might sound cruel but if you get sick don't yell at me.'

'Oh of course not, it's me doing it to myself.'

'You having milk or tea or what, Mere?' Over at the island, Ryan was pouring himself and Esposito short glasses of virgin margaritas; though he knew his partner would probably prefer the tequila or the rum without the lime filler, he knew that if Meredeth went pop he wouldn't want a drop of liquor in his system. 'What are you feeling?'

'What I'm feeling is puffy and pregnant and I want to see my baby and bring him or her home into that beautiful room we have decorated.'

'Soon, Meredeth. Baby be here soon.'

Meredeth grinned at Dell, who had been invited to join them; the plans for the movie had fallen through with their friends but the Ryan clan had still come to Chelsea for dinner. She rubbed the spot under her belly where she'd been feeling a little achy since her doctor's appointment that morning. 'I know, you can't wait for Max or Tony or Tess to get here, can you?'

'Happy bee-day soon. That means presents.'

Ryan smiled, gently slicing his son's cheese-and-bean soft taco into Dell-fork sized pieces. 'Small bites, little bro,' he told him, and Dell nodded, dutifully blowing on each bite he put in his mouth.

'I can't believe how much his speech has shot up,' Esposito commented as Honey-Milk came in from the washroom.

'I know, it's like...oh!' Meredeth braced her hand on the counter as a sharp pain hit her lower abdomen again. Immediately Esposito was at her side, rubbing her back.

'Mere? What is it?'

'I don't know. I wasn't feeling hungry all of a sudden and then...wait...' Meredeth clenched her eyes shut, and the room filled with the monstrous sound of flatulence. The relief she felt nearly made her burst into tears as much as the smell. 'Oh I'm so sorry about that.'

'It's okay.' The foulness of the odor could have gagged a maggot, but Esposito paid it no mind when he saw the look on her face. 'Bet that feels better, doesn't it?'

'Hugely. Now I'm hungry again.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	45. Zero Hour: 41 Weeks & 1 Day

A week passed and still no baby. They thought it was time in the wee small hours of April fifth, when Esposito woke up and he though Meredeth's water was starting to break in bed beside him, but it turned out she was just that sweaty and greasy in her sleep.

So they went about their days as normally as they could, and every day, Esposito could see even her Buddha-like patience straining more and more. He knew she had to be getting tired of the waiting. At risk to his own personal health, he'd invited her down for a coffee visit after her false alarm on the fifth and she'd been a totally different person than the weepy distracted mess he'd consoled back into bed at four in the morning the same day.

He never thought he'd see the day when his job would be a refuge from his wife.

'Where are we with the alibi for Watson?' Beckett asked, walking up to the murder board Esposito was studying intensely. She saw the expression on his face, sat down beside him to elbow his ribs a little. 'If you watch that thing any harder, you're going to turn into a can of orange juice.'

'Huh?'

'You know, because you're so concentrated.' Beckett grinned. She'd been saving that one up for awhile and was only slightly disappointed that Castle hadn't been there to hear it. 'THe little woman giving you troubles?'

'No, but the baby's giving her troubles which is making me feel about three inches tall. All I wanted to this morning was get out of the house.'

'Hey, you've been amazing to her, Javier. And she's what eight days over due?'

'Nine.' He scrubbed a hand over his face. 'I'm on zero sleep, or at least it feels like it.'

'Point is, you've been super-dad to be and that's not even including being a cop.' Beckett paused. 'I hope when Castle and I have babies, he's just as awesome as you've been.'

'Aw shucks, boss,' Esposito said with a shy grin as Ryan wandered up with Castle, each with two coffee in their hands. 'Please tell me that's a mocha triple latte with my name on it.'

'Double. The last thing you need right now is a caffeine crash.' Castle passed him the mug, sipped from his own. 'Still no baby, huh? How's Meredeth holding up?'

'Doing her level best, but she's taken my head off a couple of times. Harvey's checked up on her twice since her due date and tells her it's coming, just slowly.' Esposito sipped his coffee with great relish. 'Oh, that's the stuff.'

'National drink in flavour country,' Ryan agreed. He'd been in Esposito's shoes not all that long ago, but he and his baby-mama hadn't had to endure the agony of an overdue baby.

The elevator dinged and out of habit they all looked over to see who was stepping off and Esposito's already frayed nerves fried a little more when he saw his very exhausted pregnant princess waddle-march towards them.

'Mere? What are you doing here?' he asked warily.

'I know it's unexpected but I've been sitting on my ass the last week staring at the ceiling and I felt like a walk might do me good.'

'You walked all the way here from Chelsea?' Castle was aghast. 'How did you not drop a shorty on the way?'

Meredeth turned, stared him down with a frozen blue stare. 'Until you're forty-one weeks pregnant, you do not get to ask questions like that. And no, I didn't, I took the subway up and got off about four blocks from here. Besides the doctor said that the walk might help move him or her into place.'

'Here.' Ryan dragged over his rolling chair; it wasn't a silk Queen Anne wingback but most agreed he had the most comfortable chair in the bullpen since he was the guy usually stuck doing the surveillance footage brain-searing drudgery. 'I'd offer to push you over to the break room but...'

'Leave that thought unfinished , Detective,' Beckett advised, noting the expression of misery on Meredeth's face. 'How you feeling sweetie?'

'Detective, I'm aware you're the one with the gun but if I have to hear that phrase any more , I will end you.'

'I think someone just boiled the kettle in the break-room, and you've got that stash of decaf tea in your desk, don't you Ryan?' Being the parent who'd experienced an overdue pregnancy in the conversation, Castle recognized the signs of someone about to snap completely and helped Meredeth out of the chair. 'There's a couch where you can put your feet up in the break-room, and we'll get you something to drink.'

'I know what you're doing, you're the B and E guy sent in to diffuse the scary pregnant hormone bomb. And thank you.'

Castle led her into the break-room, and Esposito let his breath out. 'God, please let my baby be born soon so I'll have my baby and my wife together at the same time,' he asked the ceiling before he followed them in. When he saw Castle there, passing Meredeth a warm cup, he smiled. She was beyond fatigue, so frustrated, and still his Meredeth. When his friend, his shadow-partner as he'd come to think of him, look at him and give him the nod, Esposito took a spot on the chair beside the couch. He saw that Castle had unearthed a plate for some cookies he knew weren't Meredeth's. He took one, smiled at her.

'Your tea smells good.'

'Oh, it tastes like old sweat. And these cookies, are they made of sawdust?'

'Feeling a little fussy?'

'Ya think?' Meredeth pouted magnificently. 'I feel so god-awful. I'm nine days overdue, I fart and I clear the room, my ass and my stomach have their own zip-codes. I'm telling you be thankful you're the man, you don't have to go through this hell.'

Esposito was tempted to say 'says you', but he kept his mouth shut as he knew with Meredeth being so exhausted and cranky about having past her due date, the last thing he needed to do was piss her off. Instead, he picked up her hand, kissed the soft knuckles. 'The baby will be here when it's ready. You don't want our bun coming out of the oven half-baked do you?'

'The next time you make that joke, I will sit on your chest until your lungs pop,' she snapped, then sniffled. 'I'm sorry, really. It's the hormones. And the sleep deprivation.'

'I know.'

'Normally if I'm this out of sorts, I make food for someone, whether it's you, or that diabetic-friendly ice cream for Honey-Milk that Dell loves so much or the baking for the next time we have everyone over for a party of some kind. But I haven't got the energy nor can I bend over to reach the oven.'

'You want a foot-rub?'

'No. I'm sure you have work to get back to,' she said in a whine so unlike Meredeth, for the first time during her pregnancy, Esposito found himself at a total loss as to what to do for her. She winced a little. 'And I've been having the strangest Braxton-Hicks this morning, since like before lunch, they're way more routine than before, and kinda pinchy.'

'Pinchy?'

'Yeah, but not like really bad pinchy, like when I get gas. I've been letting them fly left and right all morning.'

Esposito felt his radar blip a little but said nothing, as Meredeth was still on her well-justified rant. 'I just want our baby here, Javi, safe and sound, without Harvey having to give me any induction drugs.'

'So push drugs are okay, but not ones to get it going?'

She nodded. 'For your own health, don't ask. I don't even understand why that makes sense to me, it just does. You don't think he means I'll have to have an emergency C-section, do you?'

'No, baby, I don't. There's no medically sound reason for you to have one, at least from what I understand from reading and listening to Harvey.'

'I...I don't know what I want anymore, I'm so turned around and inside out, I know even know my ass from my elbow.

'If you want, I can ask Montgomery for an hour personal, take you home to sleep.'

'That'd be great. Help me up?'

Esposito stood, tugged her to her feet and as she lifted off the couch, Meredeth felt a trickle down her leg like she'd wet her pants. But as she'd just peed not five minutes before, she knew it was only one other option. 'Nope, no, I'm not.'

'You're going to stick around, keep Castle company, maybe work on a little dialogue? I know he appreciated it when...' Esposito trailed off when he watched Meredeth reach up under her dress, press her hands to the insides of her thighs; when she took her hands from under her dress, she sniffed them and her eyes went round as blue marbles.

'No, we're going to the hospital. My water just broke.'

Esposito's eyes popped. 'What?'

'My leggings are soaked and I peed when I arrived at the precinct, before I came up on the elevator. And this doesn't smell like urine.'

'Oh God, okay, um, move here to the couch,' Shoving the table back, he helped her sit once again as he tried to remember the advice from the birthing classes. Staying calm was critical so she wouldn't panic. It took all his years of police training to do it, but somehow Esposito managed not to let out a helium squeak when he watched Meredeth do her deep meditative breathing as she too tried to stay calm. 'So that explains the Braxton-Hicks, they were real contractions. How long have you been having them?'

'Since about eleven or so this morning? I had a lot of cheese with breakfast, so I thought it was just my pipes backing up and digesting around the baby that was making my Braxton-Hicks feel a little off.'

'Do you want to put your feet up?'

'No.' Meredeth winced as she felt a small contraction. She shook off her husband's iron grip on her hand, held both like she was holding a small orb in her hands; as she closed her eyes, she envisioned a beautiful blue sphere of swirling blues and greens pulsing with energy as she breathed through the sensation. It was the mediation technique she'd learned at prenatal yoga and had helped her stay calm during her false alarms. 'Just this,' she said in between her teeth, and she felt his hand supportively rub her knee.

Esposito kept his face on his watch, timing the length of the contraction, also making a note of the time so he could time how far apart they were. 'There,' he said on a shaky laugh, as Meredeth opened her eyes and returned his nervous smile. 'One down.'

'I love you Javi.'

'I love you too Mere. Shouldn't we go soon?'

'If by 'soon' you mean 'now', yes, let's go. Not only is it riskier for the baby once the water breaks because of airborne bacteria, I am going to need a gallon of Demerol.'

'I'll call Harvey, get him to meet us at the clinic and get you checked.

'You've got the car, right?'

'Yeah...but we put our bags by the door when it had to be taken to the shop on Monday. I'll send someone for them, okay?'

'Okay.'

Esposito went to leave, but found himself unable to do so, as the gravity of the situation hit him. He pressed his lips to hers in an excited kiss, his hand on her cheek. 'We're going to be parents, Mere.'

'I know.' Now it was Meredeth's voice that squeaked as she felt two little happy tears sneak out. She patted his shoulder in a let's-rock way. 'Let's get going, we'll need those things before I get all doped up.'

At that moment Ryan walked in, saw Esposito kneeling beside the couch where Meredeth was doing her modified Lamaze breathing technique once more, saw the small puddle of fluid on the floor that didn't carry the sweet sickly stench of urine. Without a word he turned right around and walked out to the desk where Beckett was just hanging up her desk line and Castle in his usual spot, munching on the peanut M&M's Beckett invariable kept in the small candy dish on her desk.

'Hey, how's Meredeth feeling? Is Espo taking her home,' he asked, crunching around his words.

Ryan heaved a weighty sigh, tried to keep his face as srtaight as possible, but found it was a no-go; his grin was as wide as the Hudson. 'We need to get Meredeth to the hospital. She just went into labour in the breakroom.'

'Are you sure?'

'Oh yeah. Esposito's breathing with and her water broke all over the floor.'

Beckett blinked. 'Okay then.' She marched into the breakroom, saw Meredeth rubbing her hand in circles over the mountain of her belly. 'Esposito, are you okay to drive?'

'Unlikely.'

'Okay. I'll get Castle to drive you to the hospital. Ryan's going to page Jenny and she'll relay it to your doctor, then he's going to activate our little phone-tree to get your things from your house, okay?'

Beckett walked out of the break-room, hooking Ryan at the elbow with her hand to drag him back over to the desk. 'You've already called Jenny, haven't you?'

Yeah, I texted her before I told you guys.'

'Call Lanie, she's got the spare keys to their place. Meredeth's bags and Esposito's bags are all by the door, under the coat rack. I'll call Robina and Gil, and the Thorntons. They might not show up but it's important that they know.'

'You really trust Castle to drive?'

'Yeah, I do. He's really good at avoiding traffic.'

Having given the troops their marching orders, Beckett marched into the captain's office, saw he was on a call. 'Sir-' She held her tongue when he held up a finger to silence her.

'Yes, I know sir, but that deal was vetted with a different ADA before he removed himself from the case for personal reasons.'

'Sir,' Beckett hissed, 'it's an emergency.'

'I'll have to get back to you on that, it's an important decision and I'm not about to make it lightly. Yes sir.' Montgomery hung up the phone, folded his hands on his desk as he prepared to reprimand his officer. 'You mind giving me a good reason why I just hung up on the Manhattan South Chief of Detectives, Beckett?'

'Esposito's wife just went into labour in the break room and Castle's taking them to the hospital right now.'

Montgomery pursed his lips. 'That is a good reason.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	46. Slow and Steady

The trip to Saint Vincent's, the check-in, it was all a blur to Meredeth as the next contraction hit and all her energy was focused on her body; she had no problem letting her husband do all the talking for her. They got her into a wheel-chair and up into the obstetrics ward where she was changed into a hospital gown and her clothes were folded into a neat pile on the counter in the room. The in-take nurse got her set-up on a fetal monitor, the external kind only, and heart-rate monitor for herself.

'Yeah, Ryan, room six-four-oh-one, right by the nurse's station,' Esposito said into the phone to his partner. 'Yeah, we'll see you soon.'

'He's on his way?' Meredeth asked.

'He's on his way. So's Lili, she called Mami and Papi, and Mami called Constance. And Castle's keeping an eye out for Lanie and Dave.'

'Good. I'm glad they're going to be here, even if I don't see them that much, knowing they're out there, and especially that they're giving you some breathing time make me feel better.' Meredeth smiled as he sat on the edge of her bed. 'My boobs feel funny.'

'They do?'

'Yeah. Usually I'm used to having some kind of soft bra to support those mega-puppies under a night-gown or t-shirt and they feel, I don't know, heavy.'

'They still look fantastic,' he complimented her, then watched as the monitors spiked. 'Contraction?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Big one?'

Meredeth shook her head. 'Not too bad so far,' she said as she focused on her breathing, making fists in the bedsheets as she did so. 'How long?'

'Not long, ten seconds more, that's it almost there...two one, and breathe deep. That's it, good girl, you did it.' Esposito tucked her hair behind her ear. 'You want me to braid this for you?'

'Yes please.'

Esposito looked around, patted his back pockets. 'I, ah, don't have a brush or anything.'

'It's okay.' Meredeth gestured towards the door where Harvey and Honey-Milk had arrived along with the sturdiest looking man Meredeth had ever seen in her life. 'We've got some company anyways.'

'Meredeth, looks like the seventh time is the charm huh?'

'Technically, I only came in twice, but yeah, I had a couple of near-misses at home.'

'I've been timing her contractions,' Esposito said helpfully, looking at Honey-Milk who nodded.

'Ryan called me, told me you went into labour at the precinct. Seems appropriate considering you told your husband you were pregnant in the same room,' she told Meredeth. 'How far apart, Javi?'

'About sixteen minutes and they last every forty-three seconds.'

'We need that time to get down to about every forty seconds,' Harvey told them, putting on his gloves and checking Meredeth's progress. 'You're definitely in active labour, you're dilated about two centimetres and we like to see about one centimetre every hour.'

'What happens if I slow down or something?' Meredeth asked, shifting to find a more comfortable position. She wanted to keep her knees open, as that felt most comfortable at this point. 'What happens then?'

'We keep you here, to monitor your progress. You're not going home now until that baby's out, as your water's broken. The risk of infection is too high.'

'Okay then.'

'I'll be back in about an hour to check on your progress, in the mean-time Nurse Ryan here, whatever you need.'

'And I've only got about two or three other moms-to-be on the ward right now, so it'll be easy to find me.' Honey-Milk glanced over when the other man coughed. 'Oh, jeez, Dan I'm sorry. This is Daniel Brick, he's the surgical nurse on Harvey's service, he'll be in the room as a pre-caution only in case we need to do an emergency procedure.'

'It's standard practice for my deliveries,' Harvey added, seeing the concern in the parents'-to-be faces. 'I've delivered about twenty babies this week alone and he was simply an extra set of hands in the room.'

'Will I be giving birth in here?' Meredeth asked, looking around the spacious room.

'We'll see. I like to use a proper delivery room, but this might work as well. We can decide that closer to the time. As far as your pain medication is concerned, we're going to give you your spinal block once you hit six centimetres.' Harvey's pager beeped in his pocket, and he made a note on his chart. 'Nurse Ryan, you can get that drip set up, I have to head to the ER for a consult.'

When Harvey had disappeared, Esposito pulled up his chair even closer to Meredeth while Honey-Milk wheeled over a tray for an IV; the fluid in the bag was banana-yellow. 'This is for keeping your hydrated and our sugar up. You can't have anything to eat until after the labour, but we want you to stay nice and hydrated so your muscles will be good and loose.'

'Hey.'

Castle poked his head in the door. 'Found two someones looking for you. Is it safe to come in?'

'Yeah, come on in,' Honey-Milk reassured the mystery guest; it was her turn to smile when she saw it was none other than her husband and Lanie, bags in hands.

'We come from the south with gifts of home,' he said dramatically. Ryan set the bags down as he watched Meredeth get an IV inserted in her arm. 'How's everything going so far?'

'So far, getting some extra tubes is the extent of the excitement. I'm only at two centimetres and I need to get to ten. It's going to take a while.'

'Not to worry. We've got everything under control for Javi to stay strong so he can be here with you. Also, I took Artie out, and Cam said he'll let Artie out when he's off at six to feed him and take him to the curb.' Having finished arranging the bags and organizing what was needed out of them, Lanie turned to her friends. 'You want anything, Mere? Ice chips or a cold drink?'

'Not ice cold.' Honey-Milk shook her head. 'It will give her stomach cramps. Room temperature with ice cubes is better. And clear fluids. Teas, apple or cranberry juice, and of course water.'

She stretched the final bit of tape over Meredeth's hand to hold the IV in place. 'And right now, we're going to let these two have a little privacy. Everyone out.'

When they had the room to themselves again, Meredeth smiled. She couldn't really feel the baby kicking anymore but she assumed that was because it was getting ready for it's little trip down the birth canal. Harvey had given her the green light, told her there was nothing to worry about so she didn't, instead focusing on her husband, who'd sat on the edge of her bed again, watching on her face.

'I'm so proud of you, Mere,' he murmured, brushing his thumb over her cheek.

'I haven't done anything yet.'

'Right, and you just grew a human being in you overnight?' When she laughed, Esposito knew whatever challenges there'd be for both of them in the delivery room, they would come out the other side and live to tell the tale, along with having their brand spankin' new baby. 'So we still like the names?'

'Mos-def, Javi. I just...I feel connected to those names, you know? God that sounds corny.'

'It doesn't. It's like, when you look at my sister, do you see Lili or Lucita?'

'True enough. Can I ask you for a few things?'

'Of course.'

'One, no one is allowed to ask 'how are you feeling' or any variation of that. I'm so sick of that phrase and when I hear it, it makes me want to choke someone with my IV tubes.'

Esposito snickered. 'I know, my love. What else?'

'No eating in front of me, not even a stick of gum for chewing. I don't want to be reminded I can't eat until the baby's born.'

'You got it.'

'Thing three. Can you braid my hair now?'

* * *

Esposito knew the labour wouldn't be quick like in the Hollywood productions, but he didn't anticipate the hours crawling by like a tortoise in molasses. Her progress was steady and, well, laborious, as it was six hours after they'd arrived and she was only at four centimetres. But every check Honey-Milk and Harvey made on her with gloved hands and studious glances at the monitors was followed with a supportive nod and noises.

At seven, the whole gang was there - Castle, Ryan, Lili, Lanie and Dave with Carey, along with Beckett who'd arrived after her shift was over and so had Cam; it was Dave and Cam's turn to be delivery boys and had brought sandwiches from Fabela's and when Rosalita appeared, she'd brought pastries from the bakery. Even Dell was there, dinos and all, but no Rosie - she was with Alejandro to meet Constance at the airport. They all took turns sitting with Meredeth in her room while Esposito took short he'dbreaks, and he'd never been more thankful to have such a crowded noisy family in his life.

By hour eight - nine pm according to the clock on the wall in the lounge - Esposito had finished off what felt like his fourteenth bottle of iced tea and headed back into his wife's room, where she was breathing through a contraction with Lili and Lanie, one on each side of the bed to form a Mere-wich. Lanie studied the baby monitor's printout feed while Lili kept her eyes glued to Meredeth's face.

'Another one bites the dust,' she said in her steady motherly voice; the tone never failed to surprise those around her, because her all her bouncy bubbliness, Lili was rock-steady when it came to helping her loved ones in pain or distress.

'Oh, that felt like a bigger one.'

'Well, baby's heart-rate is nice and solid, no spikes and no dips,' Lanie told her, passing Lili a fresh cloth to pat down Meredeth's perspiring brow. She glanced over towards the door and sent Esposito a friendly smile. 'Hey daddy. Your girl's a champ. These are some strong contractions she's got happening.'

'That's a good thing?'

'Yeah, it means that even though she's not too dilated, her cervix is still softening up and doing it's thing.' She glanced at Meredeth. 'It's going to be well after midnight when you little one's here.'

'What day did you pick in the pool?'

'Today, but no one picked tomorrow so I'm looking like the favourite.'

'We'll slide on outta here.' Lili kissed her sister-in-law's brow. 'We love you, _cunada_, you're doing great.'

Once the women were gone gone, Esposito took the seat his sister had vacated on Meredeth's left side. 'You want anything to drink? Maybe some ice chips to gnaw on?'

'I just had a big drink when Lili was in here, but I haven't needed to pee very much.'

'Probably because you're sweating it all out. Having a baby takes a lot of energy. It's a marathon.'

'Don't I know it. Also, if I call you anything un-Meredeth-like in the delivery room-'

'Oh, hey, hey, now,' Esposito reassured her, kissing her hand. 'Delivery rooms are Fortresses of Solitude. If you need to call me everything in the book and a few new ones when our baby's on its way out, don't worry for a second about it.'

Meredeth nodded, then grinned widely when she saw the figure in the door. 'Momo!'

Esposito glanced over his shoulder and saw a delighted, if travel-worn, Constance at the doorway. Her silver-and-gold hair was down, an unusual sight as he always saw it pinned into some kind of fancy twist, and the look made her appear softer and youthful. Her eyes, the same colour as Meredeth's, filled up when she saw her granddaughter in the bed, hooked up to the machines and the bump of her belly underneath the sheet.

'My _pige_, about to be a mother. Oh, I am so happy for you,' she said, pulling up the chair on the other side of the bed. 'How is everything going? How are you feeling?'

'Oh, no, no, no.' Esposito shook his head. 'That's a taboo question in here.'

Constance nodded. 'How much longer to go?'

'I don't know. Harvey, my doctor, he was in about twenty minutes ago, and my contractions are down to nine minutes apart and I'm only at four centimetres.'

'So moving along, just slowly. Just like when you were born.'

'I wasn't so stubborn, I was a quickie.' Esposito laced his fingers through Meredeth's as he told Constance his own birth story. 'My mother was leaving evening Mass at San Gabriel's, and my father took her to the hospital because she was having contractions and they told her she was already three centimetres dilated even though her water hadn't broken. By midnight she was at six and then I came out around four in the morning with barely twenty minutes of pushing.'

'Such a beautiful thing.'

'More family I take it?'

All three glanced over, and saw Harvey had come in, making notes in his chart for Meredeth before reaching for gloves to examine her progress.

'Yes, this is my grandmother Constance, this is Doctor Harvey.'

'Lovely to meet you,' she nodded as Harvey folded back the sheet.

'You're at five now, but right now his or her nose is between your left hip and kidney. The good side of that means while the cord is still near the baby's neck, it's not tangled in it so we have no fear of a blue baby.'

'Oh good.' Esposito knew this had been a concern of Harvey's and Meredeth's in getting the baby to turn around, but he'd been born with the cord around his neck, as had Rosie and Kelley Mazzara and they'd turned out just fine.

'Also, I've made the decision that we will move you to a different room for the delivery, because the baby still hasn't turned fully in case we need a procedure room to assist the baby in getting adjusted to come out.'

Meredeth felt a quick jolt of panic, but it was replaced when she felt the next contraction hit, a bigger one this time and she immediately reached for her husband's hand. 'Javi,' she said in a small voice. 'Big one.'

'Okay, okay, I'm right here,' he soothed her, breathing with her to keep her focused. 'Javi's right here for you.'

'Shush!'

Esposito stopped talking but kept breathing with her and felt his gut clench a little when she let out a thin cry. He wondered if it was too soon to ask for Meredeth's drugs.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	47. The Birth

_Hello everyone! Hope you liked that episode last night as much as me! And here we finally are, the birth of Baby Esposito! Enjoy!_

* * *

'Okay, okay, you're almost there, almost there, keep going, and you're through it.'

'How far apart now?'

Esposito glanced at his watch, did the calculation. 'About one minute, one and a half. We're almost to the end-zone, my love.'

He watched her, so proud he wondered how his heart hadn't given out from it. Meredeth was indeed a champion. They'd gotten up and walked around when she'd felt restless around five centimetres, and despite Esposito's concern, she'd gone to the bathroom with some assistance from Honey-Milk to make sure there was no urine where it shouldn't be. When the contraction pain had intensified, she'd been given her spinal block and there was some relief there, though she'd cried a little at the needle going into her lumbar muscles. At eight centimetres, everyone had said their see-you-and-the-baby-soons; from there on in, it had just been the two of them in the birthing room, and Honey-Milk as necessary. She'd removed Meredeth's IV, stating that her energy was on an upswing even if it didn't feel like it - she'd be in great shape for when the time to push came.

'What time is it?'

'It's about ten to two, Mere.'

'That's fifteen hours of labour. Twelve since my water broke.'

'You've now got the record for longest duration of labour in our group of friends. Honey-Milk was about nine hours, Lanie was about seven or eight I think, and Lili was only five.' Esposito smoothed away the strands of flyaway hair that were matted to her temples with sweat. 'You're my hero, Mere, I love you so much.'

'I love you too, Javi- oh, oh big one, oh okay, okay,' Meredeth steadied herself before she could panic began to breathe deeply, doing her modified Lamaze technique and gripping her husband's hand tightly. 'Javi!'

'I'm right here baby.' Esposito focused his eyes on his wife's face, saw the determination in them not to give in the fear he also saw at the edges. 'Keep going, that's it, just a little more, a little more, blow it out, blow it out. There.'

'Hey all.' Honey-Milk came in, bringing Meredeth a fresh cup of ice chips and giving her leg a supportive squeeze. 'Not too much longer, Mere. You're a champion. And I've been keeping everyone updated. Your grandmother's something else. Can't believe how old she acutally is, she's so vibrant.'

'We should all be so lucky,' Esposito said as Meredeth crunched the ice in her teeth. It reminded him of the fact that she hadn't eaten in almost twenty-four hours and himself in almost eight. There was tonnes of leftovers in the lounge but his body was so turned inside out as he focused on his wife and their baby, the idea of pausing to eat had escaped him. His attention was needed here, as he watched Meredeth's monitor bleep again signaling another contraction. Immediately he focused on her face and helped her breathe, not noticing that Honey-Milk had gone to fetch Harvey. This time when she leaned back, against her pillows, she laughed a little.

'Never fails to amuse me when guys say 'I'd have it for you, baby'. It's like I'm trying to shove a pot-roast through a keyhole.'

'Funny girl.' Esposito stood to stretch his back, twisted left and right. He'd changed into loose jeans and a plain green t-shirt so that it would be easy for him to move behind Meredeth into position when it was time to be her support. When he sat back down, he heard her sigh heavily.

'When's our baby going to get here?'

'Soon, I promise.'

'You'd think I get to make these decisions. I'm the boss, not him or her.'

'Anything we should have done before we got pregnant?'

'Can't think of anything right now.' Meredeth managed a smile. 'I'm a little busy.'

Esposito laughed, his first one in hours. 'I know, and I'm so proud of you.'

'I'm proud of you too.'

'Why?'

'Because you haven't chickened out on anything, even the more gruesome details like massaging the perineum for me, or helping me shave my legs and other parts, or gotten angry with me when I was having a hormonal conniption fit. And because I'm parade-float size and you still get that look in your eye.'

'What look?'

'The one that got us here in the first place.'

This time he leaned over and kissed her, heard the baby's heart monitor beep beep and he immediately retreated. 'No kissing, says the foetus.'

'Apparantly.' Meredeth pressed one hand to Esposito's cheek, rubbed the other one on her belly in circles. She was exhausted but she was also edgy; she so badly wanted to see the little life she and her Javi had made together in Castle's boathouse in the East Hamptons on Castle and Beckett's wedding weekend. She remembered with a little giggle how Ryan had blushingly admitted he'd gotten an eyeful more than he ever wanted to when he went to retrieve them for dinner. That was the day that had started them on the road to here.

Her trip down memory lane was cut off when another contraction hit, this one even closer to the last. As Esposito began to count for her, she felt a little pang near her belly-button that scared her but figured it was part of the process. How would she know? It was her first baby.

Harvey came in then, a warm expression on his face. 'Hello everyone. Mere, how are you feeling?'

'If he or she doesn't come out soon, I'm half-tempted to reach up in there and yank the kid out myself.'

'Well, things are looking good, in fact,' the doctor said, after a quick pelvic check, 'We're ready to bring you down to the delivery room.'

Meredeth swallowed as deeply as she could. It was getting harder and harder, as the contractions weren't going away now. She looked at Esposito who looked as anxious and nervously excited as she felt.

'Oh my god. This is it.'

'I'll be right there with you.'

Honey-Milk and Nurse Brick came in to wheel her down to delivery, as she felt a huge wave on top of the contraction that made her cry out. Esposito picked up the video and still cameras, and went to follow her but the doctor put a hand on his shoulder.

'Javier, the baby still is turned sideways in Meredeth's uterus. Many times the baby untwists itself, but in Meredeth's case, there is a possibility when things get going, we may have to do an emergency C-section or make an incision to cut the cord to get the baby out safely. I'm telling you now, in private, so that you'll be able to reassure your wife and not be panicking about what we might have to do.'

Esposito nodded, caught up with Meredeth at the skywalk. She didn't even bother to ask him what the doctor wanted with him, just gripped his hand tightly as she was wheeled into the birthing room. Honey-Milk had repositioned Meredeth - she was now propped up at the end of the bed, her bare feet with their charming shiny violet pedicure resting in stirrups. He set the cameras down, the video recording from an appropriate spot; he toed off his shoes and took his place behind Meredeth like they were sitting in their bathtub together. Brushing her hair off her brow, he kissed her temple and said, 'I'm right here, baby. You can do it.'

With that he link his fingers with hers, palms together, as Harvey took his place at the little tent resting above her knees. When Honey-Milk removed it, he nodded sagely. 'Looks good here, Meredeth, I want to you try pushing for ten seconds, on three.'

When she pushed, Esposito wasn't sure the sound his wife made was human; it was somewhere between a grunt and a snarl. Her grip was vice-like as she bore down, her back rounding out into Esposito's body.

'Four, three, two, one. And breathe.'

Chest heaving, Meredeth fought for breath. Even with the drugs, it felt like an elephant was standing on her abdomen. All she could think of was getting it out; the need to push again, to push long was intense. She was glad for the resistance of the stirrups, the feel of her husband against her body as she fought for breath. 'Oh God, it hurts.'

'You're doing great Meredeth,' Harvey reassured her, studying the baby's progress down the birth canal. 'The head's down and on its way to crowning. I want you to try pushing again on three Meredeth. This time for twenty seconds. One, two, three.'

Once again, Esposito watched her clenched her eyes shut as she pushed, giving her resistence when she nearly crushed the bones of his fingers to powder. His own remained focused on the doctor, who didn't nod this time but simply stared, then looked up at him. Esposito felt an oily slick of panic in his gut. The monitor that was hooked up to Meredeth was beeping wildly; never a good sign.

'Meredeth, you're doing great but I need to lay you flat to help the baby.'

Head swirling, Meredeth's eyes wheeled like a frightened animal. 'What? Javi? What's going on? What's wrong?'

Esposito didn't say anything until he was out of the bed; Meredeth's grip on his hand was now one of terror and it nearly snapped his control like a twig. He sat on the stool Honey-Milk had brought over as they moved the bed to a horizontal position. With his free hand, Esposito stroked Meredeth's clamy, pale brow.

'The baby is still sideways, so Harvey needs to get his fingers in there to turn the baby.'

'Is it okay? Is it still breathing?'

'Yes it is,' Harvey told her swiftly to prevent the panic he knew would come in milliseconds. 'You'll feel some pressure, but everything is going to be fine. I need you to take a big breath and hold it for me as long as you can, okay? One two and big deep breath.'

Meredeth gulped like she was diving towards the bottom of a swimming pool; she felt the enormous pressure of the doctor's steady fingers and even with the spinal block felt the shift, like a sharp pain. 'Javi!'

'Javier, keep talking to her,' Honey-Milk encouraged him from the other side of Meredeth's bed. 'You're both doing excellent.'

'It's okay baby, it's okay. Javi's here.' Esposito glanced down at the doctor, who nodded vigorously; in the background the beeping had slowed to a normal pace. 'They got it.'

'Meredeth, you're doing just fabulous so we're going to try pushing again okay?'

'I need a minute,' was her automatic response. 'I need...I need a minute.'

Esposito loked from Harvey to Honey-Milk. 'Is that okay?'

'Yes, she can rest, now that the baby is in the right position.'

'Harvey, I'm good now,' Meredeth told him after a couple of minutes. She felt the urge to push stronger than ever and kicked her heels against the stirrups like she was prodding a horse. 'I want to push now.'

'Okay. Javier, move in behind her again.'

Esposito had to let go of Meredeth's hand once again so the nurses could reposition her. He was only inches away but felt like a riptide had taken him out to sea. He climbed back in behind her, joined their hands palm to palm once more. 'Come on, Mere, you can do it.'

'Goddammit, shut the fuck up!' The pain had reached a critical mass inside Meredeth's body and she felt like she might be cleaved in two.

'Anything you need, my love.'

'Fuck off and die, you son of a bitch!'

'Now that's a good one,' Honey-Milk giggled, relieved to have something to laugh about. 'You're a writer, you got any more in there?'

'Stupid goddamn fuckwit,' Meredeth roared, and Harvey smiled; all women he'd delivered got super-sweary at this point.

'The baby's crowning Meredeth, would you like to see?'

'Yes,' she sobbed, and Honey-Milk retrieved the mirror they'd put in the room just in case. 'Oh my god, there it is!'

Esposito glanced down too and saw the most beautifully disgusting sight in his life - there between Meredeth's thighs was the sloping dome of dark, fuzzy hair. 'Jesus, Mere, that's amazing.'

'It's a hairy one. I know you want to push even more right now Meredeth but you need to rest,' Harvey reminded her. 'You're in between contractions right now so give yourself a break.'

Honey-Milk set the mirror down, went to Meredeth's left side. 'You're doing a great job, Mere, you were really paying attention in class.'

'You're a great teacher.'

The next contraction hit and Meredeth bore down, which had Harvey nodding yet again. 'Looking good, Mere, this one should get the head out.'

It took another three pushes to get the head out, and much to Honey-Milk and Harvey's surprise, despite the number of pushes it took there was no tearing of flesh as she did so.

'Good, good, and rest once again Mere,' he told her, holding out his hand for a suction bulb to clear the fluid from the baby's nose and mouth, ensure there was no issues with breathing as one shoulder, then the other slipped out. 'Rest another twenty seconds and we'll push again.'

For Meredeth, it was too much. She leaned back against her husband, weeping now. 'I can't do this Javi, I can't. I don't have it in me.'

'Yes you can,' Esposito kept his mouth close to her ear, whispering in admiration for her. 'You're Meredeth Esposito, you are Wonder Woman. If you can beat Richard Castle at poker, you can do this.'

'I'm scared.'

'I am too, but I know you can do it. Okay?'

Still weeping, Meredeth nodded. 'Okay.'

With one hand supporting the baby's head and shoulders, Harvey looked up at his patient. Most women by now would have begged for a C-section but not this one. It was how he he knew she'd be a terrific mother. 'Okay, Meredeth, I need you to push on three. One, two, three.'

When she hesitated, Esposito murmured into her ear, 'I love you so much, Mere. Come on, baby.'

It gave her the final wind she needed. This time, she swore viciously, the loudest foulest cursing murder-cop Javier Esposito had heard in his life. With a mighty grunt, she pushed again and felt the pressure lift from her belly, heard the thin reedy cry of a baby.

Their baby.

It was here. They were parents.

Utterly exhausted, Meredeth and Esposito both laughed, and wept at the desperate sound of new life. Meredeth shoulders shook as she continued to laugh through her tears, folded her arms towards her chest effectively making her husband hug her.

'What is it?'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	48. Welcome Baby Esposito: 12 Minutes Old

'It's a girl!' Esposito exclaimed as the doctor held the baby up, covered in fluids, face scrunched in a desperate wail. He'd never seen something so disgustingly beautiful in his life. 'We have a daughter, Mere!'

'I want to hold her.'

'First things first.' Harvey pointed to the tube still connecting the little baby to Mere. 'It's your honour, Daddy.'

_Daddy. _Esposito pressed a hand to his heart as he slipped out of the bed from behind Meredeth to see the baby even more closely. Reaching out, he squeezed the scissors already clamped in place and snipped the umbilical cord, then watched as Honey-Milk brought over a plain white receiving blanket, scooped up the baby in it and laid her in Meredeth's arms.

'Congrats, you guys,' she said with a shake in her voice. 'You both did an amazing job. We've now got baby number five in our family. She's just beautiful.'

As the medical staff busied themselves so Esposito and Meredeth could have a somewhat private moment, tears coursed down Meredeth's face even as she laughed. Her baby girl had her husband's golden skin and dark hair, and her eyes were deep deep blue like Meredeth knew her own had been when she was born. She had long eyelashes and chubby chipmunk cheeks. 'Oh, Javi. She's perfect.'

'Yes she is. She gets that from you.'

'Hello there,' Meredeth said as her baby's waving hand found her finger and clutched it with all its tiny might. 'Hello Esperenza Tessiana Marie Esposito.'

'Actually, I think she looks more like a Constance.'

'Really? But you love the name Esperenza. And we made a deal.'

'There's always the next one.' Esposito stroked a finger down Meredeth's cheek, then down his daughter's. 'I love you Mere.'

'I love you too, Javi.'

Honey-Milk, who'd discreetly picked up the video camera and gently zoomed in on the new parents, just liked she'd done for Lanie and Dave, swiped her hand under her nose. 'Guys,' she called softly, 'I don't want to take her away from you, but we need to tidy her up, weigh and measure her for her records. Do you have a name picked out yet?'

'Yeah, this is Constance Tessiana Marie,' Esposito replied. 'Little Tessi.'

'Oh that gorgeous. It suits her perfectly.' Honey-Milk understood the pout on Meredeth's face as she scooped up the newborn, took her to the waiting bassinet under the gentle heat-lamp where she would be kept warm while Honey-Milk examined her. 'Javier,' she whispered, getting his attention. 'Come on over here.'

'Okay.'

Drained, wobbly, Esposito followed her over. 'Is she okay, I mean after having been turned sideways?'

'She's just great, you'd have known long before now if she was in distress. Okay, here we go, Miss Tessi.' Honey-Milk began to do her nursing thing. 'Constance Tessiana Marie, born April ten at two-thirty-one am EST. Weight, oh, miss girl you are one ounce lighter than Carey was, eight pounds two ounces or three point six-eight kilograms. Length is eighteen point seven-five inches or forty-seven point six-three centimeters. Oops, there she goes.'

Esposito was in grossed-out fascination as Tessi's butt began to leak black ooze. 'Is she crapping roofing tar?' he asked.

'No, it's called meconium it's a build-up of all the waste products the umbilical cord digested towards the end of term. Yes, I know, sweetheart,' Honey-Milk crooned, cleaning up the infant's tushy as Tessi showed them she had powerful lungs and there was nothing wrong with her vocal cords. 'All these people and it's cold out here, not like being inside Mummy where it's nice and cozy, is it.'

'Hey there, Tessi, it's your daddy,' Esposito added in a softer, gentle voice and Tessi's wails shut off like a switch was thrown. Her eyes tried to focus on the source of sound and he continued talking to her. 'I've been waiting for a long time to meet you, how's it going little princess?'

'She knows who you are, that's for sure,' Honey-Milk grinned, then reached for some sterile wipes. 'She's going to start crying again though, because this will feel very cold to her. Mummy's belly was like being in a hot tub for nine months.'

Sure enough, as Honey-Milk began wiping her down to clean off the blood smears and other birthing fluids Tessi set to wailing again, eyes clenched shut and arms and legs wriggling like caterpillars.

'You have a lot to tell us about, don't you,' Esposito said, smiling at her, hovering his hand over her tiny chest. This was the gorgeous creature that had been making a home of Meredeth's body for the last forty-one weeks, the little bit of magic they'd made together on that steamy long weekend. He had no idea he could love someone so much when they weren't even half an hour old and yet he knew as soon as he'd seen her when Harvey held her up, still attached to Meredeth there wasn't a thing in the universe he wouldn't do to keep her safe and warm and happy. He nearly broke when he saw her tiny little hand reach out and grab the end joint of his index finger. 'That's right, I'm not going anywhere.'

'Hey, Javi, can I ask you something?'

'Sure.'

'Did you and Meredeth do a lot of perineum massage before the birth?'

'Yeah, every night with a little KY for fifteen minutes before bed for the last month. Why?'

'It shows. Tessi here's a big baby and Meredeth didn't have a single tear, even with Harvey having to do that vaginal manipulation of the baby.' Honey-Milk tossed the soiled wipes in the medical waste bin and reached for the newborn-sized diaper as she glanced over at Meredeth, where Harvey was helping deliver the after birth and tidying up Meredeth. 'I won't tell her she soiled the bed, either.'

'I'm sure she knows it happened on some level but if you don't want to, it's your call.'

'Okay, Miss Mouth, almost done.' Diaper fixed on the new addition, Honey-Milk peeled off her gloves and reached over for the receiving blanket, and Esposito had to laugh. It was identical to the one that she'd given to Lanie and Dave for Carey, only with reversed colours - their blanket was navy blue with golden number twelves all over it and Tessi got a yellow hat with the NYPD crest on it in in the same blue as her blanket. 'There, my own little tradition for all our Twelfth Precinct babies.'

'Even Gil and Robina?'

'Baby shower gift. Here we go.' Honey-Milk showed Esposito the steps of swaddling the newborn so she felt snug and secure, and most of all warm. Her long-fingered hands were resting near her face and she was blinking those beautiful eyes. 'Why don't you bring her over to Meredeth, Daddy?'

Esposito grinned and when he accepted his daughter into his arms from the nurse, he felt his heart melt as she gurgled and cooed and began to scrunch up her eyes as if she wasn't sure she was going to cry again. He turned and walked over to Meredeth, and wondered once more how his heart hadn't given out from all the love inside of it for her and their new baby girl.

'Here we are, Tessi, I'm sure you know who this is, don't you?' he murmured, laying Tessi into Meredeth's waiting arms. The little girl scrunched up her face once again but like she had with her daddy, Tessi's mewling subsided instantly when Meredeth began speaking to her.

'Hello, my precious gem, how are you? It's so good to see you. Mommy's so happy you're finally here.' When Tessi opened her eyes and looked at Meredeth, everything else in the universe vanished except for her daughter and her husband. There was no war, no disease, no famine or hunger, just these lives, the one she'd found and the one she'd help make. 'You're the one who wanted all that tea and popcorn and wanted to listen to _The Muppet Babies_ all the time.'

Honey-Milk snagged the still camera and took pictures quietly as the new family bonded, Meredeth and Esposito both weeping without shame. as they watched their baby. When she'd given them their time together, she put a hand on Harvey's shoulder. 'You still want the little one in the nursery?'

'Just as a precaution, for an hour, just to be extra cautious. And that girl needs a little rest after a labour like that.'

'Agreed.'

Harvey finished writing in Meredeth's chart, then wheeled his chair over to the foot of Meredeth's new bed. 'Meredeth, I know you want to spend every waking moment with your little girl, but I want to take her to the nursery for an hour, just as a caution since you had such a tough push to get her out.'

'Of course.'

'Javier, if you want to you can go with her, or stay with Meredeth, or go and tell your family in the lounge, it's your call.'

'I want to go with Tessi to the nursery, but...I want our family to know too.'

'Tell you what,' Honey-Milk said in a problem-solved voice. 'Why don't you go with Tessi and I'll bring the Fab Four in to see the two of you.'

'What about me?' Meredeth looked at them all.

'You are getting some sedation and a couple hours of rest.' Harvey told her, bringing over the syringe of IV drugs; Meredeth still had the ports in her hand though it wasn't attached to anything. 'You're going to crash hard. You've been awake for almost twenty-four hours straight and you've got no food in your stomach or anything to keep you awake right now. And you'll want to be refreshed when that tidal wave of visitors invades your room.'

'Sounds good to me.' Meredeth let her husband take the baby from her arms and place her in the bassinet that Honey-Milk had brought over. Nurse Brick, whose presence had been almost invisible during the birth, escorted both Espositos towards the nursery.

The last image Meredeth had before sliding into a most welcome sleep was her husband talking to their baby as they walked out of the room.

* * *

Despite the late our, the little family was still in the waiting room, save for a few people. Dave had taken Carey and Dell home to ensure they got a proper rest, and Constance had gone with Rosalita to the Barrio for the same reason; much as they wanted to be there for their children, they could wait for that anticipated phone call in comfort for their seventy-something bones.

Lanie looked around and yawned widely, propped her heavy head in her hand. Beckett had dropped into sleep about a half hour earlier, as had Ryan in their respective chairs, and Lili and Cam were snuggled togetehr on the couch watching something on his iTouch. She couldn't imagine how uncomfortable Meredeth felt after being in labour so long. She'd been lucky, a real textbook case that was in that rare five percent who delivered on her actual due-date. But Lanie, like the others, wasn't going anywhere; she knew her friend needed her, even if it was simply having Meredeth know that they were there for her.

'Hey, sleepy.' Castle plunked himself down in the chair beside her, offered her a steaming cup which Lanie batted away half-heartedly.

'No, no more coffee.'

'It's actually hot lemonade. Old turn of hte century alternative for children who didn't like tea.'

'Oh.' Lanie took it from him, sipped. 'Oh that's a nice taste. It's like Neo-Citran without the pharmaceutical kick.'

She sipped again, shifted in her chair. 'Was it this long for you guys when I was having Carey?'

'No, but then your water broke earlier in the day and he was a punctual little tyke. Meredeth and Espo's was overdue and even then it's taken some prodding apparently.' Castle sipped his own coffee, chuckled a little. 'So many changes in the years since I started with you guys.'

'I know, it's almost like you have two careers.'

'Three if you count raising my daughter.'

'Did I tell you Carey said his first sentence the other day?'

'Really?' Talk of parenthood never failed to entertain Castle. He turned a little to better face Lanie. 'What'd he say?'

'He said, Daddy seep.'

'He did?'

Lanie smiled tiredly, so proud to hear her baby's voice in her memory. 'Dave was napping on the couch before work and I was folding laundry-'

'So domestic, Doctor Parrish.'

'-and Carey was in his play-pen in the living room, and he pointed to Dave, and said 'Daddy seep.' I was so proud of him.'

'The first sentence like that Alexis told me was 'no ep'ogue.'

'Ep'ogue?'

'Epilogue. We'd been learning story structure vocabulary and epilogue was the word of the week.'

'Well my money's on the new addition coming out chattering already. It'd be hard not to when you've got parents like those two.'

Castle chuckled, glanced over his shoulder and he saw Honey-Milk standing there with an equally tired but giddy grin. He reached over, squeezed Beckett's knee; the move had her jolting out of sleep like she'd been electrocuted.

'Castle! Don't _do_ that!' she started, then shut up when she saw Honey-Milk. She reached out beside her and gave Ryan's shoulder a quick shake. 'Detective, I believe there's a break in the case.'

'Huh?' Bleary-eyed, Ryan looked around, then remember they were at the hospital, not the precinct. He squinted, scratched his head, the focused when he saw his wife in the doorway, so excited she could barely keep it in.

'Nurse Ryan, you have news for us?' Castle asked in the voice of a twelve year old on Christmas morning.

'The Espositos are now a trio,' she declared proudly and everyone in the room was on their feet cheering, fatigue gone in a heartbeat.

'How is everyone doing? Is it a boy or a girl? Can we see any of them yet?' Lanie and Beckett's questions tumbled over each other.

'Mommy Esposito is in her room resting, and Daddy Esposito in the nursery with his little one.'

'And the baby?'

'Baby Girl Esposito came into this world at two-thirty-one am, and she's a middleweight champ at eight pounds, two ounces.'

'A girl.' Beckett felt her eyes well, turned into Castle's chest to hide the sob. 'Esposito has a little girl.'

'Maybe she'll get a fiance out of Dell Ryan. Does she have a name yet?'

'Yes, but I'll let the new father make the introductions.' Honey-Milk wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, gave him a juicy kiss before addressing the group again.

'Javier's asked to see you over in the nursery, if you'll just follow me.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	49. First Visitors

They trailed out in a line like schoolchildren, across the skywalk from the maternity ward into the obstetrics procedures room. Having been here before to see Dell when he was first born, they already knew the way but the anticipation and the lack of sleep had them disoriented. They lined up like the usual suspect in front of the nursery's viewing glass and just watched for a few minutes.

'Which one is she?' Lanie asked, stretching her neck to try and read a name-tag on a plastic crib.

'Right there, with Andy.' Honey-Milk pointed to where the young nurse had picked Tessi up from her bassinet.

'Jenny, is that baby wrapped in NYPD receiving blanket?' Ryan asked.

'Uh-huh. That way you know it's her.'

Ryan laughed, pulled his wife in for a quick, juicy kiss. 'God I love you.'

They watched, everyone getting a little sniffly when they saw Esposito come in and take a seat in a rocking chair, waiting excitedly. He was as tired as he was deliriously happy; when Andy put the newborn into the good detective's arms, Esposito held her carefully, like she might break if he moved too quickly. All the girls let go of the control they were greasily clinging too and let the happy tears fall.

When Esposito leaned in to put a gentle little kiss on Tessi's forehead, Beckett wiped away her own tears as she heard a great wet snuffling sound behind her. Turning, she saw Ryan knuckling his eyes.

'My bro's in the daddy club now, too. I'm not made of stone,' he said matter-of-fact tone.

'I don't think any of us are right now,' Castle agreed, dabbing at his eyes with his handkerchief, then passed it to all the girls who pulled it together.

'Come on.'

With a little nudge Honey-Milk got them to walk forward, moving softly past the other new citizens of New York City, stopping when they reached Esposito and his new baby.

'Hey, big daddy,' Ryan said softly, using the phrase his partner had often teased him with when Honey-Milk had been carrying Dell. 'Who's the cutie?'

Esposito looked up, pure joy radiating from every pore on his face. 'Hey guys. I'd like you to meet the newest addition to the Twelfth Precinct. This is Constance Tessiana Marie Esposito.'

'That's a lot of name for a little girl,' Beckett commented, her voice low so it wouldn't crack and she wouldn't sob all over Castle's shoulder. That could wait until tehy were in his car.

'We're calling her Tessi for short.'

'Dude, she's Tessposito,' Ryan murmured, making his partner laugh. 'How's Mere?'

'An Amazon. She's upstairs getting some sleep and has requested we all have pizza in her room after she's awake.'

Beckett laughed, unlooped her arm from Castle's. 'Can I hold her?'

Esposito's instinct was to say no, who would want to give up such a precious treasure even for a few seconds? But he shifted to place the baby - his daughter - into Beckett's arms. He rubbed the back of his hand under his nose as he watched the cool-headed detetive coo to the snoozing infant.

'Hello. I'm your Aunt Katie, and I'm going to spoil you rotten. You will be the best dressed baby in Chelsea, and just wait until my girl Alexis gets an eyeful of you.'

'And don't forget Uncle Rick.' Castle brush his finger tip over the tiny forehead peeking out from under the little hat, pulled a gooey face when Tess gurgled in her sleep. 'I'll be there to teach you to play poker and video games, and my mom will be the best babysitter you ever met.'

'Okay, my turn.' Lanie held out her arms, cuddled Tess close. 'Oh, beautiful little Tessi. I'm your Auntie Lanie and don't let Uncle Rick fool you, your mommy kicks his behind at poker.'

'She's not even an hour old, and you're lying to her. Nice, Lanie,' Castle mock-admonished her, making her smile.

Beside the petite doctor, Ryan flicked his finger down Tess cheek. 'Hey you. I'm Uncle Kevin and when you're old enough, I'm going to take you out for a beer and tell you the story of how I accidentally saw your mommy and daddy making you.'

'I'd rather you didn't,' Esposito said, taking Tess back into his arms, then felt his breath catch in his chest as she yawned hugely and blinked those large dark blue eyes just like her mother's. They squinted at him and Esposito felt himself fall in love all over again.

'Hello my sunshine. It's me, your daddy. I will do everything I can to make you and your mommy happy.'

'Excuse me, Detective.' The nurse who'd led the group up from the lounge had reappeared, an apologetic smile on her face. 'We need to do a check up on her and then she needs a little nap before we take her up to mommy.'

'Oh sure.' With a little reluctance, Esposito passed Tess over to the nurse, stood up from his chair. 'I could use some fresh air. Meredeth's doctor gave her a sedative along with her post-baby drug cocktail so he said she'll be out until about six or seven this morning.'

'What about the baby?'

'I'm on shift until six, so I'll be staying in the room with her,' Honey-Milk reassured them. 'Kev, why don't you and Javier and the rest go to his house, it's the closest to the hospital. Get some rest and be back here for six-ish.'

'I think we all agree that's a great plan,' Castle concurred.

They waited while Esposito gave his daughter a kiss, murmured to her. 'Daddy's going to be back soon, my sweetheart. You're going to go have a nap with Mommy and Auntie Honey-Milk. I'll explain what that means when I'm back with breakfast. I love you so much, Tessi.'

He straightened, and they filed out to the elevator. The moment the doors closed, Esposito pressed his hand to his eyes and snapped.

Every emotion he'd been holding in since Meredeth had shown up at the precinct had resurfaced and came gushing out of him with such force it overwhelmed him. He slid down the elevator wall, his breathing ragged at it wheezed in and out of him, his body wracked with sobs.

The rest them froze. They'd never seen Esposito like this, not even when he was ready to beat a criminal he thought was responsible for killing his old partner to a bloody pulp. He'd been angry, but to see this strong man absolutely undone by his ferociously passionate emotions was like a roundhouse kick in the face. Lanie had enough wits to pull the emergency stop; Beckett leaned over to say something but Castle put a hand on her shoulder, subtly shook his head.

'I got this one.'

He crouched down so he was at eye level with Esposito. 'It's alright man.'

'Tessi almost didn't make it out of Meredeth.'

The group exchanged horrified looks as he continued, 'They wanted to cut into my Meredeth's belly to they could cut the cord so Tess wouldn't be born sunny-side up and risk choking herself on the cord. And Mere was scared. I've never seen her so scared in my life. LIke a little frightened doll. And Tessi went into distress before they fixed it, they had to have a crash cart on standby when we went to the delivery room. She could have...they both could have...'

'But they didn't.' Castle's voice was firm. 'Both of them are here, and healthy, and Meredeth can still have babies, right?'

'Right.'

'Then that's all that matters. Tessi has some hearty genes to pull from, she's not going anywhere.'

Esposito's breathing had calmed somewhat but it was still sporadic as he swiped embarrassedly at his face, which was ravaged with tears. He blushed as he came back to himself. 'You must think I'm a real pussy for crying, huh?'

'Not at all, and it's probably healthier than what I did, which was go home and get blind drunk after watching my ex squeeze Alexis out.'

'I was just through this two years ago, man.' Ryan held out a hand to pull Esposito to his feet and into a bear-hug. 'It's the scariest damn thing I ever saw, to see Jenny like that. I'd have sold my soul to stop it for her. But we got through it and you guys did too.'

'Yeah. Don't be so hard on yourself, man.' Castle pulled Esposito in for a supportive manly hug as well, slapping him on the back. 'Don't forget you're sleep deprive and your mind has been in complete overdrive. So we're going to go your place, all of us. We're going to order Meredeth's pizza, you're going to get a shower and maybe catch an hour of sleep and then we'll come back here and you'll be with your girls again before you know it.'

'My girls,' Esposito repeated dreamily, thinking of the look on Meredeth's face when she'd held Tessi for the first time. 'My girls.'

* * *

Once at the Chelsea town house, the first thing Esposito did was go face-down on his bed, while the others were in his kitchen, finding drinks and the phone to order food Castle ordered Meredeth's beloved Petrelli's pizza for them to take back to the hospital with them while Ryan raided the liquor cabinet; he found a bottle of Appleton Estates rum and poured short glasses for toasting all around.

'Here's to my boy, my partner, my brother Javier Esposito, and his lovely Meredeth, our friend and sister, and the safe arrival of their little girl Constance Tessiana Marie.'

They clinked glasses and drank, the spiced alcohol making their heads reel.

'Did he call his mother and Constance?' Beckett asked, sliding into one of the bar-stool chairs.

'No, Rosalita said if it was after one in the morning, wait until seven the next day.'

'Fair enough.'

Lanie fisted her hands on the kichen table, rested her chin in the nook of them. 'Esposito's a daddy. Who'd have thought it?'

'Do you remember when we first found out about Meredeth?' Castle said with a light laugh. 'All of us professionals in human behaviour and we didn't pick up that he had a girl.'

'I think we all knew he'd found his girl for life the first night we actually met her,' Ryan commented, 'after she had that night terror?'

'Oh yeah. Man, that's almost four years ago.'

'I know. Look at all the things that have happened since Meredeth came into our lives.'

Lanie giggled a little; she shouldn't have had that drink, she knew but it seemed like a good idea at the time. 'I know there's going to be one very excited little boy to see Meredeth and Tessi tomorrow.'

'Oh yes.' Ryan shared Lanie's laugh, scratched the back of his head. 'If Dell sticks to her the way he did when Meredeth was pregnant, that girl will never have a date in her life, he'll scare them all off.'

'Or he'll be the one to date her,' Beckett blithely commented. 'Let's hope he doesn't turn out like his daddy, chasing the ladies around. Oh I've heard the stories, Ryan.'

'My son is a perfect gentleman.'

'You keep believing that.'

As all were in the come-down phase of the night, the conversation died down by the time the pizza arrived. They divided up the pie and put it into easily managed containers, into the firdge so it could be taken to Meredeth in a few hours. All set alarms on phones and watches to catch an hour and a half's rest before they needed to toddle off home.

It was how Esposito found them when he woke up from his own siesta - sprawled around his living room. Castle and Ryan flaked on the floor, heads cushioned by the throw pillows. Lanie had taken the seats out of the arm chairs and made a makeshift bed while Beckett had gotten the luxury of the couch itself.

'Hey.'

Ryan opened his eyes, yawned. 'Hey bro. You catch any down time?'

'A little. Why are you all in the living room, there's another two guest beds upstairs.'

'We're not staying, well, I am. But these guys just needed a power charge before they head downtown,' Ryan explained as they went into the kitchen to make fresh coffee on Esposito's home espresso maker.

'You're staying?'

'Yeah, I'm going with you back to the hospital. Lanie texted Dave, and he said he'd bring Dell up to Meredeth's room when he came on shift at eight this morning, and then I'll head home with them after a little visit.'

'Oh yeah. Forgot he works out of Saint V's too.'

'It's permissible this time, bro, I mean you did just have a baby with your wife.'

'Yeah.' Esposito leaned against the counter, still trying to wrap his head around it. 'I'm a father, man.'

'Congrats, Javi. You'll do a kick-ass job, and Jenny said you were a rock-star in the delivery room.'

'No. Meredeth was the rock-star. She thought she was being such a wimp and a suck because the baby was giving her so much pain, but she didn't once ask for more drugs or for Harvey to do an emergency cut.'

'Wow. That's a strong woman.'

'She's my Meredeth.' Esposito went to the fridge to pull out milk for steaming and when the coffee was made, he gave one to Ryan. 'Come with me a moment.'

Coffee in hand, Ryan followed his partner upstairs past the sleeping beauties to the nursery. They went in and just stared at the crib, outfitted with sea-foam green sheets decorated with different kinds of seashells. 'This is were she's going to sleep. My daughter, this is her bed.'

'I remember that moment too. Dell was so tiny, he looked like a doll when we put him in his crib. Have you got her coming home outfit picked out?'

'Yeah, it's that onsie that you guys gave us the day we found out.'

'The little firecracker one?'

'Uh-huh. I can't wait to watch her sleep in here, come in here and feed her, take care of her.'

'You know Meredeth is in charge of the feedings mostly be default, right' Ryan asked him.

'Oh I know, but I can be there to help.'

'Kinda personal to ask, but did Meredeth have any tears?'

Not a one. That massage things I did for her was really good, at least that's what your wife said.' Esposito sipped his coffee. 'I just want to get back there as soon as I can, I can't stand this feeling of being away from them.'

'Then we'll get you back as soon as we can.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	50. Early Days: 4 and a Half Hours Old

'Hey, where did Lili and Cam disappear to last night?'

'You know, that's a good question, I don't know.'

'Maybe they wandered off to make a little cousin for Tessi?'

Esposito looked at his partner with a fish-eye. 'Dude, that's my sister you're talking about. My sister doesn't have sex.'

'Then how is she a mother?'

'Easy. Her and Cam went to Build-a-Baby.'

'Is that what you'll tell Tessi when she asks how babies are made?' Ryan laughed, steering the Nissan into the parking tower at Saint Vincent's. It was so much fun be able to tease his partner about his new status as a proud papa. 'Still doesn't explain where they went to last night.'

As if on cue, Esposito's phone jangle with a text from Cam. _Sorry we had to jet last night, I got called into work and Rosie was vomiting so Lili went up to your parents. Call please, I need to know if I have a niece or nephew_.

Esposito looked at his watch. It was almost six in the morning, but he knew that if his mother didn't get the call first there'd be hell to pay so he sent a quick text back - _haven't told Mami and Papa yet, you'll know when they know_. It was a little cruel to do to his brother-in-law but it'd be far less stressful than what would happen to him if Rosalita didn't hear it first.

They parked and Ryan looped around to get Dell out of his booster seat in the back; the toddler stirred for a few moments.

'Daddy? We goin' see my baby?'

'Yeah, but you can sleep a little while longer, Dell. She's asleep too.'

'No' tired. Wan' see my baby.'

'Soon, big guy.'

With Dell on his father's hip and his head on his shoulder as he dropped into sleep again, the trio of men went in the back-way Honey-Milk had shown them so they could get past the guard-dog receptionist she knew was on duty. They headed up to Meredeth's floor and Ryan immediately took Dell into the lounge while Esposito went into his wife's room.

He opened the door to find Honey-Milk writing in a chart, a stack of them beside her, while in the bed, Meredeth was still out for the count, and beside Meredeth's bed was the bassinet with his daughter.

'Jenn,' Esposito hissed to get her attention, and the nurse looked up.

'Hey, you guys are all back?'

'No, just me and your boys. The rest are home in bed with promises of visitation the moment they wake up, so like around ten-ish I'm guessing.'

'Good idea. Your little girl's a strong one, all her check-ups are normal and she had a wet and muddy diaper change since you got a little rest.'

Esposito smiled, took off his coat as he went to pull a chair over beside his daughter's tiny little bed and just watched her sleeping.

'Hey little princess,' he murmured. 'You have no idea what you're in for. You have a busy day ahead of you. You're going to get to have a snack from Mommy, and a bath in a tub, and lots and lots of visitors. And I know all you want is to be safe and warm and that's what my job as your daddy is, and Mommy's too. But don't forget about me today, okay? I know Mommy's got the big boobs to feed you but I'm the guy taking all the pictures and making sure nothing happens to you.'

Tessi gurgled in her sleep, her mittened hands up by her face and gave a cute little lip pucker like a smile.

'Aw, see you know who I am.'

'She sure does. You talked to her lots, she knows your voice.' Honey-Milk gathered up her completed chart work, brushed her hand over Meredeth's head in a big sister way before she left. 'I'm going to shower and meet my boys. You think we'll be alright to visit around eight?'

'Sure.'

'Oh, and once Meredeth's awake, Harvey said she's not on any dietary restrictions. And also the lactation specialist will be in around seven thirty to help get Meredeth started with nursing. Oh, and don't forget about-'

'Jenn.' Esposito shushed her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. 'We're in good hands, okay? You need some rest too, you know.'

'Okay, I just don't like to leave my girls, you know? Well of course you do, what am I saying?'

Esposito pulled Honey-Milk in, charts and all, for a warm embrace. 'Thank you, Jenny, for everything.'

'Uh-huh,' was all she could manage without breaking down from sheer exhaustion. 'I'm going to go drop these off. I'll see all of you in a bit.'

Esposito shut the door behind her, then pulled up his chair so he was beside both his girls, sleeping like princesses. Because he was used to napping where he could, he dropped his head forward and began to doze lightly.

* * *

When Meredeth awoke, she was in her private suite again. She blinked to clear the fog away; the dull aching muscles between her legs helped put her on alert. Adjusting her pillows, she smiled as she saw sitting her in the chair right beside her bed, looking a little more rested and freshly shaven. He had his feet propped on another chair and his chin on his chest, his hand limp on her bed rail. Reaching over, she squeezed it gently.

'Wake up, daddy.'

Esposito breathed deeply, lifted his head up. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, saw that Meredeth was awake and smiling at him. 'Hey mama. How are you feeling?'

'Sore down there, but so happy I did it.'

'You were amazing. You have my undying respect. I've never been so proud of you in my life.'

Meredeth heard a soft coo from the bassinet, shifted so she could sit up in bed Esposito moved the bassinet on wheels over so it was between himself and Meredeth's bed, the better to see their little girl. 'Hi Tessi. Hello my love.'

'Honey-Milk said the lactation nurse will be up soon to help you feed her.' He paused, frowned. 'How will we know when she's hungry?'

'Lanie and Lili told me about that one, they called it the goldfish face, where the baby kinda purses up her lips and sticks her tongue out.'

''They're both moms so I'll take your word for it. Hey, got something for you.' Esposito reached into his bag, pulled out a small parcel for Meredeth. 'I think you'll get a kick out of it.'

'And I didn't get you anything.'

'You gave birth to my child. That trumps everything. Plus my birthday's in two weeks.'

'And we'll have a great day. Oh, Javi, this is adorable!'

Meredeth pulled out the post-baby sized top made of black organic cotton that read 'You Think I'm Cute, You Should See My Baby' in bright yellow letters.. She held it up at arm's length, then put it in her lap, and gave him a look. 'You got Castle to get you this so could all match, didn't you?'

'Yes. I had an idea for a family portrait, not one of those super-cheesy Sears things, but some nice photography by Sloan Machado, that you and I can wear our jeans and these shirts, and Tessi can wear her onsie that matches. He also got another one for me that has 'Mommy' instead of 'Daddy' on the chest so when she's out with you or me, it'll make sense.'

'Come here.' Meredeth leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. 'You're the best, Javi, I love you.'

'Love you too, Mere.'

There was a knock on the door and a redheaded nurse who looked like she should be stomping a runway in Milan popped in. 'Hi there,' she said in a sweet, perky voice. 'I'm Jude, and I'm here to get you started with breast-feeding Meredeth.'

Jude picked up Tessi, saw she was wearing her NYPD Cute onsie already. 'Well, aren't you the stylish one for breakfast?' she crooned, passing her to Meredeth who had already unfastened the shoulders of her hospital gown and was sitting topless as Jude showed her the way to put the baby against her breast to nurse.

'That's it, there you go, and if the baby doesn't latch on right away, it's okay, they're new to it too. It's a learning curve for you both.'

'Oh, I think...yep, there she goes,' Meredeth giggled, unsure of what to think of the sensation of the tiny little one suckling heroically. 'How will I know if she's getting enough or if she's overeating or if she's allergic to milk or something like that?' She bit her lip as her brows drew together, a sure sign to Esposito she was feeling unsteady. 'Shouldn't I already know these things?'

'Like I said, it's a learning curve. The important thing is to not feel guilty that you don't have all the answers just yet. You've only just woken up from your post-birth rest, you're not going to have learned everything in that little amount of time by osmosis. The best ways to tell is if your little girl's wetting her diaper six to eight times a day, at least, your breasts are nice and soft after feeding her and that when you give her skin a little pinch like this -' Jude demonstrated and Tessi was so involved with her feeding she didn't even notice '-it bounces back to a nice healthy colour.'

'You're doing great Mere.' Esposito had quietly turned on the video camera, not wanting to miss a single moment of these first hours of his daughter's life. He zoomed in on Tessi, who was keeping her big dark eyes focused on her mother's face, looking up at her as if to ask 'am I doing this right, Mama' while her fingers rested on Meredeth's skin. 'This is my beautiful princess' first snack time. It's almost seven am on April the tenth and she is a whole four and a half hours old.'

'I'm sure I look lovely,' Meredeth laughed, and Esposito smiled back at her.

'I've never seen anything so gorgeous in my life.'

He set the camera to Stand-by and pulled out his cellphone, and called his parents. His father picked up on the second ring.

'Javi? You have news on Meredeth?' he asked in rapid-fire Spanish.

'You have another granddaughter, Papa.'

Esposito blinked, held the phone away from his ear as he heard his father yell in joy, hollering for Rosalita and Constance, who picked up the other extensions at the house.

'_Mijo_, you have a little girl?' Rosalita asked, clearly dissolving into joyful tears. 'What is her name?'

'Constance Tessiana Marie Esposito. We're calling her Tessi for short.'

'That is just beautiful.' Now it was Constance who spoke, in just as wobbly a tone. 'When did she make her appearance?'

'Two-thirty-one this morning, and she's a big girl, eight pounds two ounces.'

'Oh my goodness, was Meredeth okay?'

'A superhero. No cuts, no stitches, nothing.'

'Tell her we'll be by this afternoon,' Rosalita said, 'I need to let them know at the bakery that I will be there only a half day.'

The parents all said another round of congrats and when Esposito turned back after hanging up the phone, he saw Meredeth had finished nursing and was being shown by Jude how to settle Tessi against her shoulder to burp her so that her head would be supported as well. 'Can I try?' he asked Jude.

'Of course, Daddy.' Jude put a soft white cloth on his shoulder and passed him the infant, who fussed only a moment until she heard Mommy and Daddy's voices again telling her everything was just fine. She flatted one palm against Esposito's shoulder, curling the other hand near his collarbone to steady herself against him. 'Such a strong thing already, aren't you?' he asked her softly.

'That she is.' Jude took his hand which rested on Tessi's back and showed him the technique most favoured for the over-the-shoulder burp. 'You want to move the air up so always move from teh base of the spine up to the back of the neck.'

'Okay. Like this?'

'That's it. She had a small breakfast since that's all she had room for, being such a new thing, but-'

Tessi gave a little lurch and sounded like a bubblegum bubble had popped. Esposito paused his ministrations and looked at her. 'Was that a burp or a fart?'

'That's a burp. Farts are higher-pitched,' Jude laughed, then 'awed' when Tessi leaned against Esposito's chest. 'Someone wants cuddle time with Daddy.'

'Absolutely. Meredeth, do you want to put on your visiting pjs?'

'Oh, good idea.' Meredeth slipped out of bed carefully, pulled her loose fitting t-shirt and baggy black shorts from her bag. 'There, now I look somewhat more presentable. Javi?'

'Yeah?'

'Could you get me something to drink? That sedative made my mouth feel like I've been chewing on cottons balls.'

'Of course.'

Unsure of whether or not the cafeteria would be open or not, Esposito went into the hallway and saw the entire Ryan clan approaching. Dell was now wide awake and holding his mother's hand tightly; his grin was as excited as Esposito's.

'Javi!' He dropped his mother's hand like a hot-coal and wrapped his arms around Esposito's shoulders when he crouched down. 'We see my baby?'

Ryan shook his head. 'Dell thinks he's got a new playmate already.'

'Yes, we can see the baby, little bro, but she's very little. She's not even a whole day old.'

'She suh-leepin'?'

'Auntie Merry just finished feeding Tessi so you can go in quietly.'

They filed into the modest room, pulled up chairs around Meredeth's bed. The new mama was cuddling Tessi, making Dell stretch on his tiptoes. 'Mama, I wanna see 'er.'

'What do we say, Dell?'

'Puh-lease may I see?'

'Good boy.' Honey-Milk picked her son up, let him lean over to examine the new addition. He dramatically sucked in a breath and said, 'Oh mama, she an angel?'

The rest of the gang had to smother back laughs at the toddler's adorably cute observation. 'Her name is Tessi.'

'Tessi,' Dell repeated. 'Best baby ev-er.'

Ryan shook his head, took his son onto his lap. 'Give a few years, you'll be saying girls are gross.'

'Not her.' Dell looked at the newborn and felt a funny little rush in his tummy when he saw her open her eyes and look right at him. 'Pretty Tessi.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	51. More Visitors

The rest of the day was filled with a stream of visitors. Dell of course wanted to spend the entire day by Meredeth's side, watching Tessi and Esposito could see the boy was absolutely bonkers for the little one. He was permitted to give her little brow a kiss by his mother - a real one, not just pressing his fingers to his lips and putting them on her forehead; he stood beside Meredeth's bed and holding onto the railing stretched onto his tip-toes and gave her a little peck on the cheek.

Esposito had never been so happy to own a camera in his life as to capture that moment. When Honey-Milk and Ryan told him it was time to go home, Dell of course pouted but waved bye-bye to Tessi and promised to visit her 'soon as poss'ble with a per-es-ent'.

'Oh, before I forget.' Ryan picked up Meredeth's cooler bag, unzipped it to show off the contents. 'Petrelli's stuffed crust with provolone and prosciutto. There's three kinds of dipping sauce and a salad, and I think some cans of ginger-ale in there too.'

'A verifiable feast,' Meredeth agreed. 'As soon as Harvey says I can eat, I'm diving face-first.'

'Nice. Take care, give us a shout when you're getting out, if you need a hand, we're there.'

Esposito did his feed the birds bro-dap with Ryan and once they'd gone, he was a little startled to see Meredeth laying Tessi in her bassinet before she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

'Mere? Baby, are you okay?' he asked tentatively.

'Uh-huh, I'm fine,' she cried. 'It's the after-birth hormones, Harvey said they can still make you a little loopy so don't be surprised if this happens over the next week or so.'

'Ah, well, okay, if he says it's normal then we'll handle it.' Esposito reached for the box of tissues and was pleased when she grabbed one and her tears dried almost as quickly as they'd appeared. 'Feel better?'

'I feel great.' Meredeth turned on her side in bed, watched Tessi sleeping. She was such a perfect little treasure, she thought, and she she'd get to be there for all those first in her life right from the very start. 'Mommy loves you very much doesn't she?'

Tessi's response was a little nose wrinkle, followed by a yawn and a blink of her big dark eyes. She looked around for the source of the noise and Meredeth continued to talk to her. 'You've had quite the busy morning, haven't you? Yeah, you got to meet Auntie Honey-Milk and Uncle Kevin and most of all you got to meet Dell, who was almost as excited as Mommy and Daddy were to see you. He thinks you're an angel but I know you're my little princess, aren't you? Yes you are.'

Esposito stood up, picked Tessi up to put her in Meredeth's arms while he adjusted the blanket in her bassinet, then showed Meredeth the swaddling technique he'd learned from Honey-Milk; Tessi's fretful whimpers died down at the feeling.

'You like being all snuggly, don't you, sunshine?' he murmured, holding the back of her head in his hand so that she wouldn't hurt herself while he passed her back to her mommy. He watched as Meredeth just watched her yawn and stretch her fingers, smack her little lips together. 'I could watch you two for hours.'

'Oh my god!' A thought occurred to Meredeth like a thunderbolt. 'What about Artie?'

'Cam's been keeping an eye on him for us while we're here,' Esposito reassured her. 'He was happy to see us all last night and when I woke up and everyone was flaked out on the living room floor, he was cuddle up against the couch near Beckett.'

'The living room floor?'

Briefly Esposito explained, as there was soon another knock on the door; this time it was the Mazzara clan.

'Oh, Mere!' Robina, with her own new baby strapped to her chest in her carrying sling, pressed her hands to her mouth as TJ and Gil hung back with Esposito. 'Look at this gorgeous little duchess!'

'This is Constance Tessiana Marie Esposito,' Meredeth informed her agent proudly. 'Is the blogosphere already in the know?'

'No, no, I haven't said a word to the press yet. Here, TJ, can you take your sister?'

TJ bounded over and despite being nine years old, took the five-month old Kelley into his arms and plopped them both into a chair to chat with her. As he did so, Robina straightened her blouse, pulled out her Blackberry. 'What do I get to say in the official announcement, since you beat me to it when you confirmed you were pregnant?'

'Oh, um...' Meredeth hadn't given a single thought to it, despite the fact she'd shown up on a couple of 'Mommy To Be' pages in the tabloids. 'I haven't really considered it?'

'What about 'Lady Hawk Scribe Welcomes Baby Hawk' for a title?' Esposito suggested, which had Gil grinning.

'Nice, bro.'

'I like it.' Robina began to thumb-type furiously; when she finished, she cleared her throat and read the draft. 'It' a girl for Meredeth Esposito! She and her husband welcomed baby girl Constance Tessiana Marie into the world on April tenth at two-thirty-one am EST. Mom and Dad and little Tessi as she's being called, are all doing great and are thankful for such an understanding and supportive medical staff at Saint Vincent's Hospital in New York City.'

'That sounds fantastic.' Meredeth nodded. 'What do you think, Tessi, that a good way to tell everyone you're here?' she asked and took the infant's happy coo as a 'yes'.

'Can I?' Once she'd put her Blackberry away, Robina held out her arms, cradled Tessi there. 'Hello, gorgeous. How are you? You are so cute, you're gonna be beating the boys off with a stick, aren't you?'

'No fear of that when you've got Dell Ryan for a body-guard,' Gil chuckled. 'I got a text from Ryan saying they'd left and he told me all about Dell calling Tessi there 'his' baby.'

'He loves her very much,' TJ piped up, shifting Kelley from his arms to his knee, supporting her back like a pro which had Meredeth smiling.

'He's so good with her,' she commented, and had both Gil and Robina smiling widely.

'He had his friends over on his birthday party and TJ made them all go outside so they wouldn't disturb Kelley's nap, and when we had cake and ice cream before presents, he insisted on having her right beside him and showing her how to blow out candles,' Gil told her. 'I've got tonnes of cousins and they said they've never seen a little boy so attached to a baby like that.'

Esposito nodded, knowing that it hadn't been just Gil who'd wanted family so badly; TJ's world had been turned upside down by his mother's divorce and had had a difficult time understanding why his biological father no longer wanted to talk to him or see him, so when Gil had come into Robina's life and effectively his, the two had bonded like peanut-butter and jam.

'Oh,' Robina added, passing Tessi to her daddy and digging into her mammoth sized purse. She came up with a small box wrapped in paper decorated with lobsters. 'This is for you. Well, for the baby, but for you too.'

Meredeth opened it and smiled when she saw the mommy-and-baby bath set. 'This is perfect. And thanks again for the baby sling from the shower, I'm sure it's going to come in handy when we take her home.'

'I love mine, and it's more natural for a baby to cuddle in than one of those kangaroo thingies you see. And the soaps are all tears-free and I know you're a fan of cucumber, which is really mild on baby skin.'

Meredeth nodded, then felt herself go on alert when Tessi began to fuss. She stretched her neck to look over at her husband and saw her daughter was making her fish-face. 'I think she's hungry again.'

'Okay, we'll give you some privacy, then. Congrats again, honey.' Robina kissed Meredeth's brow, then ushered her family out of the room as Esposito laid Tessi back in the bassinet while Meredeth tugged off her t-shirt. Like the first time, it didn't take Tessi long to latch on and once again suckle at Meredeth like milk was going to be banned.

'Look at you go,' Esposito smiled, watching mother and child bonding so sweetly. 'Hungry girl, huh?'

There was a knock on the door and this time Harvey came in, not in is scrubs but office clothes under his white jacket. He too looked like he hadn't seen much sleep the night before.

'Good morning Esposito family, I see the little one's already having her mid-morning snack?'

'Yeah, she's a thirsty girl.'

'That's good, she's bright and alert and feeding so there's no cause for concern after having to do that turn during the birth.' Harvey flipped open Meredeth's chart. 'Your looking good and strong as well, Meredeth. Blood pressure's a little on the low side but it's better that it's too low than too high. But your heart's good and strong and once Tessi's finished up there, Daddy can burp her while we give you a quick exam.'

'What about food? I'm starving.'

'You're not on any dietary restrictions so feel free to eat, just remember nursing is still like being pregnant so the same no-no's for that are still in place.'

They had to wait another twenty minutes or so until Tessi had decided she'd had enough and she went to visit her daddy while Meredeth assumed the position and Harvey checked her recovering nether-regions. 'You've got good elasticity down here and some bruising already forming.'

'That's good?' Esposito asked, remembering to rub Tessi's back from the rump upwards.

'Yeah, it means she's on her way to healing. She'll be back in shape in about four to six weeks, thanks to the good care you both took before the birth.'

'Hear that?' Esposito asked Tessi, giving her a little pat. 'Mommy's going to be just fine.'

Her response was a healthy burp, along with a little spit-up. Esposito laughed as he dabbed at the corners of her mouth. 'My baby just spit up on me,' he snickered as Meredeth watched him. 'I'm really a father now.'

* * *

The next time they had visitors was closer to lunch-time when Dave and Lanie and Carey showed up, along with Beckett and Castle and to their surprise Alexis was with them. She looked travel weary but her smile was bright as she saw the new parents with their baby.

'Alexis, what are you doing here?'

'Surprising everyone, I'm home for our pre-exam break. Here. Brought this for the new little one.' She held out a bag printed with the Union Jack on the sides, and white tissue paper peeking out the top. Since Esposito had the baby in his arms, Meredeth pulled put the paper and felt her maternal heart squish in glee: it was a plush, baby-sized teddy bear, cream with brown eyes, a green bow tie and the words 'My First Harrod's Teddy' stitched on the left foot in matching green. 'Lex it's perfect!'

'Well, I thought every baby should have a teddy,' she said sleepily, putting the teddy in the bassinet beside Tessi.

'Or a monkey,' Castle teased her and got a little jab in the ribs for his troubles.

'Ba-by Mama?' Carey asked in a sweet little voice, tapping his mother's shoulder as he rested on her hip.

'Yes, that's the little baby, her name is Tessi.'

'Tizzy,' Carey tried, wrapping his ten month old mouth around the name the best he could. 'Baby ssss.'

'That's right, ssssh baby's sleeping.' Lanie moved closer so her son could see the newborn. She was asleep in her plastic crib, still wearing her NYPD Cute onsie and her matching hat.'

'Niss.'

'She is very nice, isn't she?' Dave laughed, watching Esposito and remembering the feeling of his little guy being ten hours old, watching him rest. 'She's just beautiful you guys, congratulations.'

'Thanks.'

Meredeth's stomach gave a loud rumble and was joined by Alexis' too. 'Oh, man, okay, she's sleeping and I'm hungry, pass that pizza on over here. Feel free to dive in.'

Alexis took a slice as did Dave and Beckett, but Lanie and Castle knew that Meredeth cold probably inhale the whole pie herself without nasty aftershock. Lanie remembered the unmitigated starvation she'd felt the moment she'd woken up after having a post-birth rest. Dave had brought three pounds of wings for them to poke at and she'd picked those bones clean of everything edible. Sure enough, Meredeth had mowed her way through two slices before the others had even finished their first one.

'I'm sorry for pigging out like this,' Meredeth apologized with her mouth full, but I haven't eaten since eight-thirty yesterday morning.

'No need to explain it to me,' Lanie reassured her friend, adjusting the wiggly Carey on her hip who was trying to get her attention. 'What's up,,little man?'

'Is mitch?' he asked, poking himself in the cheeks.

'What?'

'Baby is mitch?' He pointed to his own cheeks again. 'Is mitch?'

'Oh do her eyes match?' Meredeth gulped down her pizza and laughed. 'Yes they're both blue.'

Lanie laughed too, shook her head. 'We've been learning about colours and trying to explain to him most people's eyes match is a challenge. Right now, I'd be happy if he weren't such a wiggly monster.' Lanie lowered her voice so that Carey giggled loudly so that Tessi began to fuss. 'Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'

'It's okay, princess, Daddy's here.' Esposito shushed her calmly and because his back was slightly turned, didn't notice the gooey looks his friends were giving him. He saw her making her pucker-up face and realized it hadn't been Carey's laughter but her own tummy rumbles making her cranky. Someone's hungry again, Mom.'

'Oh, okay, say no more, we'll get out of your hair. We just wanted to stop in and say congrats. Oh and Cam texted me,' Dave added as an after thought. 'Artie's missing you guys something fierce but when Cam said 'baby' he ran upstairs to the nursery.'

'Smart boy.' Meredeth held out her arms for her daughter, and the moment the door closed, she pulled up her shirt to feed her baby. 'I think I'm going to be thankful in a week or so for that breast-pump so I don't have to whip these things out all the time when we have guests.'

'Well, it's the first thing me and my daughter have in common,' Esposito told her with a wink as Tessi's mewling subsided once she had her mouth latched on to Meredeth. 'We're both big fans of your boobs.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	52. Even More Visitors

By noon just about everyone had made an appearance along with some other unexpected visitors like Esposito's cousin Frannie and her children Micah and Soladora to see their new cousin, and Meredeth's artistic partner Kristof and his wife Hilde. Meredeth thought back to when she'd had her false alarm while her husband had been on an overnight shift and how she'd sincerely believed that her visitors would be limited; it made her feel more than a little foolish now.

Jude had come back to give Meredeth and Esposito a crash course on the best way to bathe their new little girl, and how to fold her diapers around her still-healing belly button - it would be an innie - as well as more tips on breast-feeding and burping and swaddling. Meredeth knew she was asking tonnes of questions, probably stupid and inane ones but Jude was a total pro and answered them in a sweetly calm voice that made Meredeth feel a little more confident.

When there was a lull in the stream of activity, and because Meredeth found herself feeling a little overwhelmed by all the attention, Esposito commandeered a wheel-chair and took her to the lounge just down the hallway, turned the TV to the Disney channel where there was an early matinee of _Sleeping Beauty_ being shown. He turned the volume down low, so that it was no more than a murmur in the background, but he knew Meredeth would be happy to have it after being in a hospital room for so long. He parked her by the arm chair, leaning towards her when he settled in.

'Hey, you know what I just realized?' he told her.

'What?'

'In the entire length of our relationship, up until now at least, both of us have only been in the hospital once and both times it was in April.'

Meredeth laughed as she cuddled Tessi against her chest. 'Look like April is going to be one of those months, you know?'

'How so?'

'Well, I've learned that in every family there's always one month of the year that is completely bug-nuts crazy with things happening. Like my friend Chin, her husband's birthday is July second, then there's the holiday weekend, then there's their anniversary on the eighteenth and then her birthday is the twenty-sixth. Looks like April is ours.'

'Yeah, especially this year, there's Easter next weekend and then my birthday the weekend after that. Oh, also, Lili and Cam's anniversary is the fourteenth, don't let me forget.'

'We won't let Daddy forget, will we, my sweet?' Meredeth asked Tessi. When her daughter's response was simply a cooing sound, she nodded. 'Nope, she says we won't.'

'Aw, thanks a million, bub.' Esposito leaned over, gave his best girls both a great big kiss.

'Hi!'

Esposito glanced over his shoulder to see Honey-Milk and Dell in the doorway of the lounge, Honey-Milk in her scrubs and Dell in little jeans and a sweater with a present bag in his hand.

'We can't stay long, I'm on shift at one and this little guy's going to the preschool but he insisted we make a pit stop up here first.'

'Have a gif' fo' my Tessi.' Dell held out the bag to Esposito for his inspection. 'Pick it out my-self.'

'Did you?'

'Yes.' Having done his duty in giving Esposito the gift bag, Dell immediately turned his attention to the awake Tessi and studied her face like an artist admirign a fresh blank canvas. 'Hi Tessi. I Dell Ry-an.'

Tessi blinked her eyes at Dell and let out a little squeaky noise akin to a small puppy barking; the sound made Dell giggle. 'Say hi to me?'

'I think so,' Meredeth started, then felt Tessi give another squeaky sound along with a little jolt of the body. 'Actually, Dell I think she has the hiccups.'

'Oh. I help?' Dell held out his hand, and at Meredeth's nod patted her back gently once, twice. 'No hic-cups, Tessi. All bet-ter.'

'Hey, little bro, why don't you help me out here?' Esposito shook the bag lightly and Dell's eyes went wide.

'No! No shake. No want bur-oken gif'.'

'Okay, then you better show me how it's done.'

Esposito watched fascinated as the young man, with so many of his father's mannerisms already, tugged out the tissue paper and Esposito reached his hand in to reveal a small stuffed turtle from _Finding Nemo_.

'This Cuh-rush. Mama say Tessi like tur-tells,' he explained patiently to Esposito in the studious way of a child.

'It's just great, I'm sure she will love having it to cuddle with at night. Thanks Dell.' Esposito gave him a little hug and a kiss on the top of his head. When he let go, Dell immediately went over to Tessi. Because Meredeth had turned her around so her bum rested on her mommy's knee, Dell leaned over and gave Tessi's forearm a little kiss.

'Bye-bye Meredeth. Bye-bye Tessi. See you soon. O-kay, Mama, we go.'

Mission accomplished, Dell put his hand back in his mother's and Honey-Milk smiled. 'I'll stop in before I'm off-shift tonight, okay?'

'Sounds good.'

'Bye-bye, Tessi!' Dell added one last time.

Once they'd gone, Meredeth patted Tessi's back. 'So that's your boy-toy, Tessi, that's Dell and he's already in love with you, little girl,' she told her, as Tessi continued to hiccup.

'She says, Mommy, why does he make so much noise?' Esposito asked in a high-pitched voice and Meredeth laughed.

'Yes, he's a chatty one, isn't he?'

Alone once again, the trio of Espositos sat together quietly, but not for long, as Meredeth shift a little on her seat. 'Javi, can you take us back to the room? I need to pee.'

'Sure.'

* * *

'So what do you think, Tessi, I mean with Forrester gone because of that foot injury, the Hawks lose their best defender, but Kristas is off the DL and he's been the club's top scorer now. Think they can take the Red Wings?'

Tessi answered by cooing and then letting loose a massive sneeze, which had Esposito laughing. 'Oh I know, it's like an explosion, isn't it my love? Aw, sweetheart, it's okay,' he soothed when her lower lip began to tremble. 'It's okay, it's not so bad, is it?'

'Daddy, what was that? It was like a bomb went off in my nose,' Meredeth said, speaking for her daughter as Esposito held Tessi close. They were back in Meredeth's room with Meredeth in bed while Esposito sat with Tessi . 'I don't know what to think.'

'I know, hiccups are way easier to handle are they, Tessi-boo?'

Meredeth sighed contentedly, looked over at the door of her room which had opened and saw the small crowd outside the door. 'Hey, guys,' she said softly, 'come on in.'

Esposito glanced over his shoulder and saw Constance, along with Cam, Lili and Rosie. All were carrying gift bags of some kind which had Esposito shaking his head.

'You are drowning in swag, girlfriend,' he murmured to his daughter as he cuddled her against his chest. He didn't bother standing up, he knew it was the one time when they would come to him. 'Hey everyone, we have a new Esposito in the house.'

'I see that,' Constance smiled, so proud of her granddaughter, her _pige_. 'Your beautiful little girl, what is her name?'

'Constance Tessiana Marie Esposito,' Meredeth told her grandmother proudly, not at all surprised to see her eyes welling up. 'We're calling her Tessi for short.'

'Tessi Esposito. I like that.' Lili smiled, pickd Rosie up to see her new cousin as Esposito rose from his chair. 'Rosie can you say hi to Tessi?'

'Hi Tessi. You ti-ny.'

'You were even smaller when you were born,' Esposito told her in a stage whisper, wrinkled his nose to make his niece laugh.

'Fun-ny _tio_.'

'She's just gorgeous you guys, really.' Cam shifted on his feet, sitting on the foot of the bed and leaning his cane against the rail. 'Can I have a hold?'

Esposito nodded, passed Tessi to her uncle with a kiss on the forehead. 'This is Cam, he's your uncle,' he murmured, 'and he's a nurse, so he knows all about little ones like you.'

Cam didn't get long to hold his new niece as Tessi began to fuss and wail, a cry that Meredeth already recognized as the call for dinner. 'Oh, dear, looks like it's time for lunch, isn't it?'

'Looks like.'

'We'll give you some privacy.' Rounding up the family, Constance had them leave the gifts for the new baby and parents on the table and ushered them all out so Meredeth could once again unfasten the flap of her nursing bra and put Tessi to her breast. The feeling of her daughter feeding was becoming more comfortable, though it was making her nipples a little tender, but Meredeth knew that was part-and-parcel of breast-feeding; she'd learned it from Lanie and Honey-Milk

'Oh, here.' Esposito picked up the nursing pillow that had slid off of Meredeth's lap to the bed and placed it underneath her arms so both mother and child were more comfortable. 'That better?'

'Very. Easy, easy, baby,' she laughed when Tessi paused to catch her breath before slurping up more milk. 'Mommy's not going anywhere.'

When Tessi had her fill and had been burped, she started to yawn so her daddy put her in her bassinet, then studied the space in the bed beside his wife. 'Hey Mere?'

'Hey Javi?'

'There enough room for two in that bed?'

Meredeth grinned at him as he toed off his sneakers and flipped back the covers. 'Hop in, hot stuff.'

Esposito returned her smile and moving carefully because he knew his Danish angel was still incredibly tender and sore between her legs, he spooned in behind her, his arm lightly around her middle under her breasts and his lips on the back of her neck.

'Nap time, Mama. Love you.'

'Love you too, Daddy.'

* * *

Meredeth awoke with a start an hour or so later by what she thought was the sound of Tessi crying, but saw it was in fact the door creaking open as Harvey came in; a quick glance in the bassinet showed that Tessi was sound asleep after having had her tummy filled. Looking down, she saw that her Esposito had snuggled closer to her body and kept his arm around her.

'Javi,' she hissed, rubbing his arm.

'Wha-huh?'

'Harvey's here.'

'I'm up.' Pressing the heel of his hand to his eye, Esposito sat up yawning. 'Hey doc.'

'Good afternoon, Esposito family. How are you liking the first hours of parenthood?'

'It's beautiful, but I wanna get her home so that I feel more comfortable. I...' Meredeth hesitated. 'I feel a little guilty in here that I want to rest while she's resting, you know?'

'It's completely natural to feel like that, Meredeth. A lot of new mothers after the first twenty-fours hours or so just want to get home so they can make the adjustments to parenthood in their own space. We're going to do an express check-up here.'

'Okay.'

Harvey wrapped the blood-pressure cuff around Meredeth's arm, took a reading. 'One-twenty-four over seventy-six. Looking very good,' he said, moving on to use his stethoscope for a listen to Meredeth's heart and breath sounds. 'And that all sounds good too. You know the next part.'

Esposito slid out of bed, moving to stand beside Tessi's bassinet while Harvey did a short pelvic exam to check Meredeth's healing process.

'Also moving along nicely. Don't be alarmed by the bruising, and don't try using things like Icy-Hot or gel-packs. It needs to fade on its own. If your legs are in pain, let me know when I see you in two weeks time, or come into the clinic if you feel like it's serious pain. I'm sure this isn't anywhere on your list of priorities right now, but if you continue to heal this rapidly and sincerely, you and your man will be practicing to give Tessi there a little brother or sister by Memorial Day weekend.'

'Thanks, doc.'

'What about going back on birth control while I'm nursing?' Meredeth asked, hitching her shorts back into place.

'If you want to practice protected sex, I recommend using just condoms if you're concerned about your milk. It's the route that most couples go when they're becoming intimate once again after going through childbirth.' Harvey made a few notes to Meredeth's chart. 'And one you're done nursing, we can set you back up on the hormone needle.'

'Let's just take it one day at a time right now,' she replied.

'Agreed. Not that I don't want to make love with my wife to celebrate the arrival of our little girl, but we're committed to being good parents and making sure Meredeth heals properly,' Esposito added, linking his left hand with Meredeth's, missing the feel of her wedding rings on her fingers though he knew she'd put them on the chain around her neck so that they wouldn't have to be resized because of the fluid build-up in her hands from her pregnancy. 'Besides, there's plenty of ways to be intimate and romantic with your spouse.'

Harvey smiled; it was hearing things like that which told him this was a couple he knew would go the distance and die of old age in each other's arms surrounded by more children and grandchildren. 'I agree. Things like that, napping together, it's good for the mother's self-esteem because it helps her to not feel like a large mammal of some kind.'

'So when does she get to go home?' Esposito asked.

'If the heal continues this well, by about Sunday morning.'

'Knock-knock.'

They looked over and saw Rosalita and Alejandro in the doorway, and Harvey took this as his cue to leave. He slipped past Esposito's parents, who came in quietly with looks of absolute pride on their faces.

'Oh, my boy's a Papi,' Rosalita said in a shaky voice, excited to see her grand-daughter for the first time. 'Oh, Javier, she's an angel.'

'That's what Dell said this morning,' Meredeth chuckled, adjusted the pillows behind her head.

'How are you, my dear?' Alejandro asked, looking on with such fatherly affection she almost started crying.

'Tired. There's been a lot of visitors and I haven't had much rest.'

'Oh, say no more, then, we'll visit with in an hour or so. We'll just wait in the lounge.'

'Thank you.' Meredeth turned onto her side, and closing her eyes, barely heard the door close behind them as she dropped into sleep once more.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	53. Home Again

_Hello everyone! So here it is, the last chapter of Meredeth and Esposito's pregnancy journey but not to fret because the new one is coming up literally seconds after I post this one! Cheers and happy holidays!_

* * *

'Both cameras?'

'Check.'

'Bags packed?'

'Yep.'

'Adorable bundle of joy?'

Esposito smiled. 'Yes ma'am, all bundled up and ready to go home. Aren't you, Tessi?'

Meredeth smiled as she watched Esposito talk to his daughter in the bassinet after being dressed in her outdoor clothes. It was Sunday morning; Tessi was a whole two days old and had gotten the all-clear to go home and all three Espositos were looking forward to the tranquility.

On Friday, after Rosalita and Alejandro had finished their visit, Honey-Milk had come on shift and was running a mini-course on what to be paying attention for during the first days at home with the new baby, things for both mother and child. Meredeth was most concerned about bumping Tessi's healing belly-button but supposed it could be worse - they could have had a son who was healing from circumcision so there'd be two 'ouchies' to watch out for, she thought, using Dell's word.

Ryan and Dell had both stopped in again when Ryan was off shift and picking Dell up from the pre-school. Dell had sat on the bed beside Meredeth and with the patience of a Buddha in a lotus garden, watched her resting against Meredeth's chest. When they'd turned on a little soft music, some nice low Motown that Meredeth favoured, all of them watched in fascination as Dell had begun to hum along with the Temptations' 'My Girl' and finished off the song by giving her a gentle kiss on the hand.

'You my girl, Tessi,' he whispered loudly and the three adults had to hold back the laughter. 'See you soon.'

'Aw, my little guy's in love,' Ryan teased his son, scooping him off the bed. 'We have to head home. Time for dinner and blood sugar testing, right?'

'I'm big boy, I don' cuh-ry at nee-dells,' Dell informed Meredeth and Esposito.

'I know, you're a very brave little boy. Tessi thinks so too,' Meredeth said, tilting her head so it looked to Dell like Tessi was murmuring in Meredeth's ear. 'Yeah, she says you beat the sugar monster, didn't you.'

Ev-er-y day. Bye-bye Tessi.'

Ryan laughed, put Dell on his feet. 'I'll call you guys tomorrow, okay? You up for a short visit tomorrow night?'

'Yeah, we'll be home by then.'

Now it was time to take Tessi home to two-seventy-one West twenty-Fifth Street. Dressed in soft yoga pants and a warm sweater to guard against the miserable early April weather, Meredeth scooped Tessi up in her arms, in her infant sized rain-gear. Though the Nissan would be pulled right up to the entrance, she was taking no chances.

'Here.' Esposito, who'd disappeared momentarily, reappeared with the wheelchair. 'Easier to admire our little girl this way, and I'm sure you're still a little tender down there.'

'Not as much, I mean, the feeling of wanting to straddle a frozen turkey isn't as strong as it was.'

'Lovely talk,' Esposito teased her sweetly.

'When you've passed a bowling ball out of your ass, we'll see what comments you have, won't we, Tessi-boo?' Meredeth cooed with a smile at her daughter, Esposito watching them with pride. 'Yeah we will.'

* * *

They made it to Chelsea in relatively good time, as few people were out so early on Sunday morning. The city looked so different to her, now that she had a daughter. Places she'd walked past and taken for granted suddenly seemed fresh and exciting because she had another new person to explore them with. It was like when she'd moved into the Chelsea townhouse and Esposito had begun to learn about her local haunts; where her favourtie bagel place was, where she shopped, bought her groceries. That sense of rediscovery was heightened now that Tessi would be introduced to them.

Esposito took the bags into the house, then watched and recorded with the video camera as Meredeth took the car seat out of the Nissan and carried Tessi up the stairs of her home. 'This is my little girl's trip home from the hospital, and so far, so good. There's Mama, looking just beautiful,' he added, zooming in on the tired pride on his bride's face.

'Where's Arturo?'

The words were barely out of her mouth before the gigantic dog came thundering down the stairs and when he saw the carrier in Meredeth's hand, he came to a skidding halt, sniffing at Tessi's feet. At first Meredeth wondered if she shouldn't choose a more appropriate time to introduce the baby and the dog, but when she heard the soft sweet coo that Tessi made when she felt Mommy or Daddy's heartbeat while Arturo did his canine inspection, she knew they would be fine.

She carried Tessi over to the coffee table, Arturo following and wagging his tail happily when Esposito gave him a hard hug around his thick neck. Once there Meredeth lifted her baby out of the carrier and slipped off the coat, and replacing it with the blanket that had been draped over her in the car. She put Tessi to her shoulder and breathed deeply.

They were home together, their little family.

Esposito watched his wife with great pride, thought of the morning when she'd come to the precinct and told him they'd made a life together. This was the moment he'd been looking forward to since hearing those words from Meredeth's mouth - to see her holding his baby against her body at home. The way she leaned back against the couch, curling her body so Tessi rested there comfortably, the way she made sure she was as steady as possible, she looked like an angel of motherhood.

'Mere?'

'Javi?'

'I love you.'

She smiled at him. 'I love you too.'

Tessi gave a gurgling noise and began to scrunch up her face in a hungry cry, and passing her to her daddy, Meredeth adjusted herself using one of the throw pillow to help balance Tessi when Esposito handed her back to nurse. Hearing that little noise Tessi made, a squeaky little suction as she ate, while Meredeth gently spoke to her and Arturo was watching with avid puppy interest, had Esposito's throat closing up.

This was his family. He was a family man now. Esposito had always considered himself someone who would do anything for his parents, and for Lili and Cam and Rosie, but now that he had his own child, he understood it. It was clearer to him now how Ryan could shut it off after a hard interrogation and be the sweet and goofy dad to Dell. He thought of his badge. He now had even more reason to serve and protect New York City - his daughter lived there now.

When Tessi had finished her mid-morning snack, Meredeth put her daughter on her knee and holding her neck gently so she would sit up straight, patted her back firmly. It was another technique she'd learned on her taking-home-baby course with Honey-Milk and made her feel particularly secure about it, though she couldn't explain why. She watched with a careful eye as Arturo sat down and watched Tessi as if trying to figure her out. The protective mixed-breed had known something was going on with Meredeth and he seemed to put it together that this was the little weirdo who'd been making his mistress get so big in the last nine months.

When she saw Tessi go very still Meredeth paused her pats and heard the healthy little burp before she screwed up her expression and let out a sneeze.

'Oh my goodness, a two-for-one,' Meredeth exclaimed on a laugh and Esposito was laughing too as Meredeth handed him his daughter.

'Hey, grab that bag with Dell's present, would you?' Esposito put Tessi, who was already starting to yawn, against his shoulder and he talked to her softly as all four of them went upstairs. 'I know, it's so busy being a little thing isn't it?'

He walked into the nursery and looked around, his heart glowing with fatherly pride. 'This is your room, my princess. We didn't know before you came out of Mommy if you'd be a prince or a princess so we decided you could be happy with all the sea creatures keeping you company,' he explained as he set her down in the gorgeous hand-made crib his parents had given Tessi as a Christmas gift. 'This is your bed, it was made by a friend of Daddy's and your _abuela_ and _abuelo_ gave it to Mommy and Daddy as a present when you were still very small inside Mommy.' He glanced up, saw Meredeth standing beside him and watching with pride. 'How am I doing so far, Mama?'

'Just fantastic, Daddy.'

'Hear that?' Esposito flicked his fingertip over Tessi's cheek. 'Your daddy's just as new to this as you but your mommy thinks we're both the best.'

As if to remind him that he was still there, Arturo had parked his butt beside the crib, watching Tessi carefully and gave Esposito an impatient snort before turning baleful eyes to Meredeth. 'And of course, your puppy Artie's here to look after you too. You two are going to be best friends, I can tell.'

'Oh, speaking of best friends.' Meredeth reached into the bag and pulled out the stuffed turtle. 'This is from Dell Ryan, that noisy one who kept on coming to visit you and calling you his baby. He's so excited to see you, he's already planning his first visit over here.'

She set it in the crib beside Tessi and melted a little when the sleepy infant reached out and grabbed it with her chubby fingers. 'Yeah, that's Crush, you'll like having him to keep you company to go to sleep beside.'

'Mommy and Daddy are right next door and we've got these spiffy things-' Esposito pointed to the baby monitor attached to the crib rail above her head '-so we know just what you need and when.'

'She says, Daddy, you noisy, I wanna get some rest, I've been busy this morning,' Meredeth said in the high-pitched tone she used when she was talking on behalf of her daughter. 'And Mommy smells, she needs a shower and a snack too.'

'I'm sure you do.' Esposito leaned over, kissed his daughter's cheek as she began to sigh in sleep. 'We'll see you in a few hours

'Have a good nap, baby girl.' Not to be outdone, Meredeth leaned in too, kissed the other cheek. 'Sleep well Tessiana my love.'

They went to leave and called for Arturo to follow them, but instead, he flopped down on the carpet right beside the crib, staring at the door as if to challenge anyone who came through that they'd have to get through him in order to get at his little girl. Since he was silent as a mouse and Tessi was resting soundly, they let the dog stay where we was while Meredeth went into the bedroom. She looked around and heaving a sigh began to weep a little. Leaning forward she rested her elbows on her knees and put her face in her hands as she let the last four days of emotion come flooding out.

Ever the good husband and knowing what is wife needed, Esposito sat down on the end of the bed beside her and held her as she sobbed. He felt her hand on his arm squeezing with just enough pressure to get him to ease back so she could look up at him.

'We're parents, Javi,' she said with a watery smile. 'That's our baby in our nursery. And she's perfect.'

'She is. And you are the best woman a man could ever ask for.'

'You're...you're...' Overcome, Meredeth's waterworks kicked in again. 'I love you so much.'

'I love you too, Mere. The proof of that is right next door. And here.' He picked up the chain that had her wedding rings around her neck. 'And here.' He tilted her chin up and gave her a whopping kiss on the lips. 'You want to shower together?'

'Yeah. I feel so gross and nasty and flabby with all this extra-ness now that the baby's out of my body but...I know you love me just as I am and I just want to stay near you right now.'

'Okay.'

Esposito ran the shower as hot as they could both handle it, and once in their skins, he held her close under the spray of water, just like the first time they'd been naked together. He reached passed her for her soap and lathered it over her skin, helping her cleanse away three and a half days worth of sweat. She'd gotten to wash her hair in the sink of her hospital room but she hadn't had a proper rinse-down since Thursday morning so he knew her whimpers were partly the hormones still playing Russian roulette on her body and partly because the steamy water felt so good.

Once out and dried and in comfortable clothes, Meredeth hooked the baby monitor which looked like a walkie-talkie to the hem of her pants and she laid down on her own bed, ready for a rest. 'I feel so sluggy, you know?'

'The books said it'll take you a day or two after you're home to feel yourself again, kinda like that transition from morning sickness back to normal when you were pregnant.'

'I didn't get the morning sickness all that much. I got the fluid swelling and the low blood pressure and the rest of it. And okay, be honest, how were my hormones?'

'Truthfully, they weren't that bad.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. I've now seen Honey-Milk, my sister, Lanie and you all be pregnant and Lanie's hormones were hands-down the worst. She was so snappy, Ryan and I used your milkshake things as peace offerings on a daily basis. I sincerely thought you'd have a harder time with the weight gain than you did,' he told her. 'Towards the end you were really cranky, but the baby was over a week overdue so that was the reason mainly for that.' Esposito stretched out beside her, also in comfortable pants. 'What about me? Was I an overbearing nervous first-timer?'

'Not at all, you were awesome.'

'Nice.' Esposito sent her a grin that was foolishly proud at the edges. 'And just think. We've got a little girl we get to play with, and feed and dress up like a little doll.'

'Teach her to play video games and put on lipstick.'

'Take her to the Hamptons to Castle's for vacations and have everyone here for her first Christmas.'

'Birthday parties,' Meredeth sighed dreamily. Like Lanie, she was a big fan of birthday parties. 'With Disney princess theme or whatever she wants.'

'No clowns, though. I'm putting my foot down on that one.'

'Okay, no clowns.'

'Deal.'

Esposito put his hand on Meredeth's hip and pulled her close so they made one unit napping on the bed while their baby slept next door, her puppy standing guard over the newest member of the family.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


End file.
